Days Go By Sequel to Better Days (2nd part to Days Trilogy)
by MusicChiller27
Summary: Four years pass, Arielle is on the brink of graduating high school and things with Jasina and Mark are rocky. Jasina wants a commitment, but Mark is holding back. Miscommunication leads to Jasina finding love elsewhere, but ends in a way nobody expected. Also, Arielle has a secret that threatens to destroy her entire family when she turns to Jasina first, not Mark.
1. Chapter 1

**Days Go By  
**~Sequel to Better Days~  
2nd Part to Days Trilogy

Chapter 1

Bills were sprawled everywhere across her kitchen table.

Jasina pinched the bridge of her nose, letting a breath out and began cutting checks for them. She hated the beginning of the month, though her job compensated well, so Jasina had no worries financially. Mark had come up with the idea for them to split the cost of a car for Arielle's seventeenth birthday, which was coming up in a few short weeks. Of course Jasina couldn't turn down the opportunity.

Her and Arielle were extremely close, they were practically best friends and told each other everything. An open, honest relationship between mother and daughter...Jasina couldn't ask for anything better. Then again, maybe she could when Mark popped into her head.

"No I'm not thinking about that right now." She muttered, cutting the final check before sealing the envelopes.

Deciding she would make a trip to the post office instead of putting them in her mailbox, Jasina had to get out for some air. Grabbing her keys and cell phone, Jasina slipped the bills in her purse and walked out, locking the door behind her. The post office was closed, but that didn't mean she couldn't drop off the bills in the big blue mailbox and go for a drive in the process.

After dropping the mail off, Jasina contemplated going to the shop to see what Mark was doing, knowing they didn't have much time to find Arielle a car. Mark wanted to find a beat up piece of junk to fix up while Jasina would rather get Arielle a brand new car that was safe and reliable. She was leaving for college in a year and she knew Arielle was looking at a college at least a few states away.

Did Mark understand her point of view? Of course not! Jasina put her foot on the gas and headed to the shop, knowing they were closing soon, which was the perfect opportunity to talk to Mark regarding the car issue. Unbeknownst to her, Mark had already chosen a car for Arielle without her opinion or approval.

Finding a car for Arielle had turning out to be a bigger pain in Mark's ass than he originally thought it would be, but Mark finally had. Given that he was a mechanic and owned his own garage, he refused to let some dealer talk him or Jasina into buying something off a lot. He would select a car, make any necessary repairs...his daughter wasn't going to be riding in a death trap. He smirked, recalling the car Jasina had brought into the garage before he had been aware of who she really was. That thing had been a coffin on wheels.

Mark had finally decided on an SUV.

What was under the hood worked fairly well, it was the body that needed work and between him and Steve, they'd have it pristine and purring like a kitten in no time. He had made arrangements with the current owner to bring it over in the morning and he would buy it. He had already cleared his and Steve's schedules for the next few days to devote on the vehicle, delegating the regular work to the other three mechanics he now employed. He wasn't hurting for money so if he had to turn down a job or refer a customer to someone else, it wasn't going to overly hurt his wallet. Feeling pretty pleased with himself, Mark whistled as he started locking up shop, ushering everyone out the door.

"Why not get her a motorcycle instead?"

"Steve, if I wanted your damn opinion, I would've asked Trish for it." Mark grunted, knowing Steve didn't fully approve of the SUV idea, but Arielle was his daughter and there was no way she was getting a motorcycle at her age. "You can't stay here, you have to go home."

"Please no, Trish will make me look at napkin patterns."

"That is the joy of getting married and having a big, fancy ceremony, dumbass."

"Hey man, why don't we have a double wedding?" Steve's blue eyes widened when Mark choked and snorted the water he had been drinking. "What'd I say?"

"A double wedding eh?" Jasina tried not to laugh because she saw Mark snort the water, covering her mouth with her knuckle, eyes sparkling in amusement. Steve was smirking like a Cheshire cat, though the desperation in his eyes told a whole other story. "Why don't you tell Trish you're going out for a drink tonight..."

"With me of course." Now it was Steve's turn to snort the beer, which sprayed out of his nose, burning the nostrils. Both women giggled uncontrollably, hearing his curses. "I am NOT planning this wedding by myself, Steven. Now get moving, we have to go pick up little Stevie from my mother's and she wants to go over the different cakes with you."

Jasina waved as Steve mouthed 'HELP ME' while Trish ushered him out of the shop by his ear.

When Steve had been dragged out by Trish, Mark began laughing. He couldn't help himself. Steve was his best friend and all, but the man had been dominated by his soon-to-be wife so badly...Mark figured Trish kept Steve's balls in a box and only let them out when holiday season rolled around and she wanted to display them on the Christmas tree. The look on Steve's face had been...hilarious as hell; he reminded himself to feel bad for his buddy later when he wasn't having a good chuckle at the other man's expense. After wiping water off his face and clothing, he reached out for Jasina and pulled her up against him.

"I wasn't expectin' to see you tonight, darlin'." He purred down at her huskily.

"I know, but I had to talk to you." Jasina's mind instantly became cloudy, chewing her bottom lip and tried not let this man's voice affect her.

When his lips sealed to her neck, Jasina knew she would be a goner if she didn't push him away, but it felt amazing being in his arms and feeling his touch. She smiled softly when he pulled back, only to capture her lips in a fiery kiss, causing her heart to skip a beat and her knees weaken. Jasina felt her feet leave the ground and suddenly her ass was planted on something hard, which she could only guess was his desk, their lips never leaving one another's. She finally broke the kiss, the smell of gasoline and cologne intoxicating her, but Jasina had to talk to him about the car before it was too late.

"The car!" She finally rasped out, cupping his face in her hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "Mark, stop for two seconds and talk to me about the car. We have a decision to make and fast before Arielle's birthday."

What the Hell was she talking about? It took Mark's lust filled mind longer to make sense of what she was saying than it had to get revved up. When he finally realized she was talking about the car for Arielle, he shook his head and stepped back between her open legs, bending down to kiss her again.

"Don't worry about it, Jas, I got it taken care of." He murmured, more intent on continuing what they had started instead of on a car they couldn't do anything about until the morning.

"Wait..." Jasina took two handfuls of his dirty shirt that had oil stains on it to push him back, looking confused. "What do you mean you got it taken care of?"

Before Mark could try attacking her again, Jasina managed to hop off of the desk, walking around it to put space between them. She knew Mark had something planned and Jasina couldn't believe he would try doing it behind her back, remembering he had been the one to come to her for help with the car issue. Jasina pushed all the naughty thoughts away, her clouded mind clearing, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Mark Calaway, you tell me what's going on right now. We were supposed to do this together, what do you mean you got it taken care of? How could you take care of it if WE haven't even gone looking for ONE car together?" She demanded somewhat angrily, teal eyes narrowing at her boyfriend, wondering if he was screwing with her or if he was genuinely serious.

Mark was confused that she was pissed off. He racked his reluctantly clearing mind for a reason as to why she would be pissed. He had asked her help in going half on a car, mostly because he figured she'd be hurt if he went ahead and did it without her, trying not to maim her tender feelings. He didn't recall asking her to help him look for a car though.

"I found an SUV for her. It needs only a little body work and a tune-up, of course I'll flush out the system anyway and do new tires. Steve and I are planning on working on it tomorrow." He explained, honestly not seeing what the big problem was.

"That's fantastic." Her teal eyes filled with hurt and Jasina decided it was time for her to leave, knowing she had no plans with Mark tonight. "I have to go."

How could Mark stand there and act like nothing was wrong? He basically went behind her back, with Steve no less, and picked the car out for Arielle without even asking if she approved or not. That was fine though. Mark could do whatever he wanted because Jasina obviously wasn't needed or wanted in the decision. She loved Mark so much, but sometimes the man was blind to the error of his ways and Jasina wasn't about to point it out to him.

"I'll see you and Arielle tomorrow. Good night." Jasina walked out of the shop, knowing Mark was clueless and things were better left that way as she headed toward her car, trying to keep her emotions in check.

Mark followed after her, having absolutely no idea where he went wrong and it was obvious the woman wasn't going to tell him. She was sneaky like that. If he screwed up, she would get huffy for a few days and not tell him where he had gone wrong so he could avoid doing it again.

"Jasina, wait a minute." He caught her by the hand and whipped her around when she ignored him, staring down at her, the confusion in his emerald green eyes obvious. "What's wrong? What'd I do?" He asked, watching as she struggled to keep her emotions from pouring out.

"Nothing, I was just...I'm an idiot that's all. I thought you wanted to pick the car out together and I was wrong. I'm glad you found her a car."

Jasina was a master at controlling her emotions, especially ever since her and Mark got back together, if one could even call it that. They lived separately; as far as Jasina was concerned, they'd been doing nothing except dating for the past four years. She was tired of it and ready for the next step, knowing she'd more than proved herself that she was trustworthy and not going anywhere.

There was no way in hell Jasina was pushing Mark into something he clearly didn't want though. There had obviously been a communication error and Mark automatically knew it was on his end for not making things clearer when asking her to help him find a car. He had just assumed she would leave it to him since he was the car savvy one in their cozy little relationship.

"I didn't realize you wanted to help me look, I haven't bought it yet. We don't have to get it." He offered, knowing he had already screwed up and his offer wasn't going to change it.

Jasina shook her head with a gentle sigh, hearing the resignation in Mark's voice and knew he would do it if she really wanted him to. "No, it sounds like you found her the perfect car. I misunderstood when you came to me and asked me to help you buy a car for Arielle. Then again, you didn't say anything about going out and actually looking for one, but being as you asked me for help buying one, I figured that's what would happen. My mistake, sorry." Jasina didn't want to be here right now, feeling like crawling in a hole and never coming out again, pulling her keys out of her purse. "Just go with the car you're gonna work on tomorrow."

Jasina didn't agree with the SUV idea because those cars ate up gas like there was no tomorrow and they had blind spots the size of Jupiter, but she wasn't about to go against Mark's car savvy either. Mark really knew he made a serious mistake, wondering how that had happened. He figured an SUV would be perfect for Arielle.

It was big enough to fit everything she liked to lug around, would handle tough weather since they tended to get all kinds down this way, and it came with a built in GPS system that was also linked to a second, 'mother' GPS that he would possess. That had been the main reason he had been interested in the SUV. The price was right, the ride was sound minus some bodywork, and the GPS. He figured it was a steal. Mark probably should have mentioned all this to Jasina.

"Why don't you come to the house and we'll talk about it?" He suggested gently, not wanting her leaving this way.

Half of Jasina wanted to go with him and the other half just wanted to go home, suddenly feeling exhausted about this whole car situation. Why did Mark have to even ask for her help if he honestly didn't need it? Maybe he wanted to include her, but there were other ways to do that, such as the planning of the birthday party. Of course, Arielle was turning seventeen and all she really wanted was a car, having talked about it constantly for the past six months.

"Alright, but I can't stay long. I have to be in the office earlier than usual because Trish is training me on her job for when she goes on maternity leave." She informed him in a softer voice.

Mark didn't bother to counter that with an argument about eating. Jasina tended to sometimes become distracted and not eat, so he and Arielle tended to 'fatten' her up at every opportunity. Or maybe she did eat and they just didn't know about it; either way, she was having supper with them.

"You want me to drive and I'll bring you back after?" He offered innocently, knowing that was a surefire way to get his wish.

Jasina knew damn well if she let Mark drive her to the ranch, she wasn't going back home for the rest of the night. Her whole body tingled from head to toe, knowing exactly why Mark wanted her to stay over and it wasn't just to 'fatten' her up as her daughter so eloquently put it. She smiled when Mark kissed her lips soundly, one of his strong tattooed sleeved arms wrapping around her waist, pressing their bodies together and Jasina couldn't help responding.

His lips were too addicting.

Hell, Mark was too addicting...period.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Follow me back to the apartment so I can grab a bag and then I'll go with you to the ranch. Just remember, you have to get up earlier than usual to take me to work." She smirked when he rolled his eyes and slapped his chest playfully, extracting herself from his arms. "Unless of course you'd rather I just go home tonight after our 'talk'?"

"We'll work out terms later." He teased, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. "Come on."

He threaded his fingers through hers, leading her towards his truck, knowing a parking lot was no place for what he was beginning to have in mind: dessert. When he heard his cell phone beep, he pulled it out and slid open the tiny keyboard, reading the message before sending a text back, letting Arielle know they would be having an extra plate for dinner. He shrugged when Jasina eyed him inquisitively.

"She made me learn how to use it."

"Considering that's all she ever does is text, but I'm surprised she could teach an old dog new tricks." Jasina squealed when Mark poked her side playfully and growled.

Having no idea what his growling did to her, Jasina had to fight back a full body shiver and buckled up, pinching his side with a smirk once he began driving down the road. Mark hated being teased about his age, but Jasina couldn't help baiting him sometimes, like now. It was part of what kept their relationship so alive and fresh, though lately it seemed that something vital was missing. For the life of her, Jasina couldn't figure out what it was, pushing any negative thoughts in the back of her mind.

She just wanted to enjoy tonight with her boyfriend and daughter, their fingers lacing together again while country music played softly through the radio. Arielle had also tried teaching him how to use the video recorder and the camera on his phone, but the only purpose he could see for either one of those involved Jasina in some pretty reputation damaging positions. He figured he'd best not learn how to use them. Mark navigated the familiar roads to her apartment with one hand, completely unaware anything was wrong, perfectly content with the world.

"Want me to go up with you?" He offered when he had parked, shifting in his seat to look at her, his green eyes twinkling impishly.

"No because if you come upstairs, I have a feeling we're not leaving and Arielle is expecting us." Jasina quickly kissed his lips after unbuckling her seatbelt. "I won't be long, promise."

Slipping out of the truck, Jasina headed up to her condo to grab what she needed, wondering what she was doing. Was it wrong that she'd been dating Mark for four years and they still lived separately? Jasina was with him practically every night and half of her clothes were at the ranch, why couldn't they just take the next step? Sighing, Jasina finished packing what she needed and locked her condo, heading to Mark's ten minutes later.

While she had been upstairs getting her things, Mark was wondering why the hell she needed to come here to begin with. Lord knew the woman had plenty of stuff at his ranch, it looked almost like she lived there, even though she didn't. She had a toothbrush next to his, some of her personal items underneath his bathroom sink, which he now avoided at all costs.

It was bad enough having a teenage daughter with that...stuff, at least it had been in Arielle's bathroom and not his. Point was, Jasina practically lived with him, only she didn't. It was actually pretty stupid the more Mark thought about it.

"Sure you got to be up extra early?" He half-joked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I'm even a minute late, Trish will have my ass and I really don't feel like pissing off a pregnant woman who is stressed out about her wedding." Jasina knew Mark couldn't argue with that, knowing Trish was putting her fiancé through pure hell in planning it, forcing him to help her with every single detail. "I'm really glad I'm not in Steve's shoes, she's almost too much to handle at work." They both started laughing and Jasina scooted closer to him as Mark's arm wrapped around her shoulders, her head leaning on his chest while he kept driving. "I bet Steve loves coming to work just to get away from his bridezilla, eh?"

Mark was wondering if he was walking into a trap. Jasina and Trish were best friends...he and Steve were best friends. Steve was the poor bastard fortunate enough to be marrying bridezilla. He knew damn well Steve now kept a case at work in order to drink at the end of the day, or the beginning of the shift -never while on the job and he never got drunk- since Trish was determined Steve give it up before the baby came, on top of the wedding. Poor Steve was going gray...in his goatee, the bald bastard.

"Now darlin', you know I wouldn't know anything about all that." He drawled, knowing that she knew he was blatantly lying to her.

"Suuure you don't." Jasina snorted, wondering if Mark thought she was that naive, glancing up at him. "That's why when I showed up earlier at the shop, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights and was talking about napkin patterns. Not to mention he suggested a double wedding and Steve pulled him out by his ear."

She couldn't help laughing at the memory of Steve mouthing to them 'HELP ME' while Trish rattled in his ear about different cake flavors. Jasina knew Steve loved Trish unconditionally, especially since they were about to have two children together, but also knew her best friend was pushing the groom over the edge. There was nothing Steve wouldn't do for Trish; everyone who knew Steve and Trish knew that, but even Mark was wondering if Steve had a limit. If so, they were probably approaching it. One issue at a time, Steve could handle, multiple issues and a very hormonal Trish...that was another story entirely.

"Thank GOD you weren't like that with Arielle." He remarked, stifling a shudder "I wonder how you would be on a second child though...I don't remember Trish being such a pain in the- such a handful-" He cleared his throat. "Before."

"Well on top of being six months pregnant and planning a wedding that's going to happen two months after the birth...she has a lot going on."

Jasina hadn't really thought about having a second child –it was physically impossible for her to do so-, suddenly conjecturing why Mark would mention it. "Trish will calm down, but there's a lot to do in planning the wedding of your dreams. Steve needs to understand that and try to keep her as calm as possible. She wants everything to be flawless and perfect..." Jasina didn't even want to know how much money Trish and Steve had already poured into this wedding.

Being a man, as well as the best friend, Mark was on Steve's side. Pregnancy and planning a wedding, that was overwhelming for any normal man, how the hell did Trish even manage it? He personally didn't understand why they didn't plan the wedding until AFTER the birth and postpone the wedding date. He wasn't dumb enough to voice any opinions though, he had done that once in front of Trish and felt like his balls had been removed for a week after. He loved that woman, but damn she was a spitfire.

"I'm sure it will be." He said amicably.

Jasina was the Maid of Honor so she'd already felt some of Trish's bridezilla attitude, which was enough to last her a lifetime. She had her dress, shoes, jewelry, everything she would need to do her part of the wedding. Trish refused to have a bachelorette party, though Jasina was planning on doing something for her, even if it was going to see a movie or a shopping spree. Then again...maybe a shopping spree wasn't such a good idea.

Mark was Steve's Best Man, but so far Trish hadn't really bothered him with the wedding, instead asking Jasina if he'd gotten his tuxedo and everything. Mark had taken care of business, even though he hated the monkey suits, which is what he'd told Trish the day she verbally hacked his balls off. Chewing her bottom lip to keep from laughing, the rest of the drive was made in comfortable silence, each in their own thoughts.

Any part he played in the wedding, or anything Mark had to do the happy occasion, he had so far done almost as soon as she had ever so politely asked him too, mainly to keep her calm and happy. He liked his nuts where they were and he liked Trish when she was calm and happy. Mark wasn't surprised to find Arielle sitting on the front porch, waiting for them when they pulled into the drive, even less surprised to find her texting.

"I'm going to check that girl into rehab, is it natural for her to be doing that all the time? It can't be healthy." Mark grunted, putting the truck in park and cutting the ignition, glancing over at Jasina.

"Believe it or not, Trish does nothing but text as well. It's easier to communicate." Laughing softly, Jasina kissed his cheek and slipped out of the truck with her bag in hand, heading over to her daughter. "Hey sweetie."

Arielle looked up with a big smile on her face, having finished the text message and slipped it in her back jean pocket before rushing to give her mother a loving embrace. Jasina kissed the top of her head, both of them the same height and felt her daughter take her hand, pulling her into the ranch, both of them instantly starting to make girl talk like always. It was always about Arielle's day at school and her upcoming birthday and Jasina telling her about her latest article while Mark stood there with question marks swirling around his head.

He never would understand women.

When Arielle was little, she had been a tomboy through and through, minus her obsession with pink cowgirl boots and hats. Now she was still sometimes a tomboy, but...also becoming a woman. He thanked the lord every day that Jasina was back in their lives because he honestly didn't know how he would handle all these changes without her there to step in when he had absolutely no clue what to do or what he was doing. He followed them inside, leaving them to their chitchat and headed to the kitchen to see what Arielle had left him to finish up.

"Please tell me you remembered to boil the noodles first!" Mark called when he seen lasagna in the oven.

"Oh ha-ha, Dad, that was only once...maybe twice..."

"Okay, so getting back to your party, is there anything you want besides the usual?" Jasina sighed when Arielle said the word 'car', rubbing her temples because she had no idea what to get her daughter. Mark had already taken care of the car, but Jasina wanted to try getting her daughter's mind off of it. "Okay a car, I got that, but what ELSE?"

Arielle chewed her bottom lip and shrugged, staring down at the table. "I don't want anythin' else, Mom. I can't help it. I'm gonna be seventeen and I'm going to graduate soon. I want a car, I deserve a car. I just want a car and I'll be the happiest woman on earth if that's all I do get for my birthday."

"What about jewelry or DVD's, music, clothes?" Jasina looked up when Mark walked in the dining room with a bowl of salad in hand. "Hell, even tickets to go somewhere or a concert?" She wasn't giving up easily, even when Arielle just shrugged her shoulders again.

"Arielle, quit stallin' and answer the woman. We already know you want a car, don't try tellin' us there ain't nothin' else you want." He ordered, knowing damn well she had been eyeballing a couple things she said were 'college essentials'.

"Maybe a new laptop? Mine's two years old and dying."

Mark looked at Jasina.

"Oh, and one of those skins for it would be cool too, if you don't think a laptop counts as a birthday present so much as a college thing."

"Laptops have skins?"

"Yes Mark, they're these thin peel offs that you can order or get at certain stores. Though you have to have the right size or else the skin won't attach to the laptop correctly." Both women nodded while Mark looked absolutely clueless and Jasina wanted to slap her forehead. Did Mark know anything about the twenty-first century or the technology? "Okay a laptop, what else? Have you been looking at the new Kindles or maybe even an IPAD?"

"I'm not really interested in an IPAD..." Arielle watched her father pale and blinked, looking at her Mom. "Is Dad alright?"

"Mark, what's the matter sweetie?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Mark held up both hands to stop them right there, not entirely sure he wanted to know, but also having to make sure he was understanding what they were talking about. This was just too damn weird, even for women. "We give those out as birthday presents now? What the hell?"

"IPADS? Yeah, what about it?"

"Since when are tampons and maxi-pads fucking birthday presents?!"

Both Jasina and Arielle looked at each other with wide eyes and suddenly began rolling with laughter, glad they were sitting down or else they'd be on the floor. Jasina was in pain from how hard she was laughing, not believing Mark actually thought an IPAD was...It just caused her to laugh harder while Arielle doubled over, tears falling down her face. It took a full ten minutes before they calmed down again and Jasina tried so hard to keep a straight face, knowing she would have to explain what an IPAD was to Mark.

"Sweetheart, an IPAD has nothing to do with a menstrual cycle or a woman's vagina. It's a tablet computer designed to market as a platform for audio and visual media like books, movies, music, games and you can even get on the internet." Jasina managed to explain without laughing, giving herself credit.

"Basically pops, it's a mini computer you can lug around with you wherever you go." Arielle summed up, trying not to start laughing again. "It's just another one of those IPOD contraptions, like the one I have upstairs in my room, only bigger and A LOT more advanced."

It took him a full minute to digest that and when he had, he felt like a world class fool and it wasn't helped by the fact that they were still laughing at him. Growling playfully, mostly, he bent down and picked up each woman, each one under an arm. "Keep on laughin'." He warned, heading back towards the kitchen, and the back door.

"It was funny, Daddy! How would you use an IPAD as a pad? You'd electrocute yourself or somethin'!" Arielle was crying and laughing at the same time, though when she realized where they were heading, she began shrieking. "Not the pool!"

Jasina immediately began struggling against Mark's arm, which was like moving a concrete block from around her waist, her eyes wide as saucers. "Mark no! You can't, we have our cell phones!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She looked over at Arielle and both of them nodded before pinching Mark's armpits as hard as they could, knowing it was one of his weaker spots. Both dropped to the patio deck like a sack of potatoes and laughed when he began cursing, stumbling back inside, closing the screen door behind them. Jasina knew she was in a lot of trouble later on, but it was totally worth it just to see the look on Mark's face when she mentioned getting Arielle an IPAD.

"I think we should stop messing with him for the rest of the night. Deal?"

"If the end result is us drownin', deal!" Arielle giggled, straightening out her face when her Dad came back inside, rubbing his armpits. She admitted to viciously pinching him, but as far as she was concerned, it was self-defense. She had defended her cell phone too, the water would have fried it. "How you doin', Daddy dearest?"

"Don't you Daddy dearest me, you brat. You're both brats." Mark grunted, though he did kiss each of them on the forehead. "Better go check your lasagna, Arie." He swatted her backside as she passed him, advancing on Jasina.

Luckily, Jasina hadn't sat back down and squealed when she went to make a run for it in the living room, only for Mark's arms to wrap around her waist and lift her up with ease. She weighed practically nothing to Mark, even though Jasina knew she could definitely lose a few pounds, especially in her ass. That was her opinion though and soon Jasina was swung up in the air over his broad shoulder, his hand connecting with her ass.

"Mark!" She began squirming, but he had her in a tight grip so she both wouldn't fall or escape. "Come on honey, we were just messing with you. It's easy not to when you have no idea what we're talking about." She managed to reach down and pinch his ass, hearing him growl as he slapped her ass again. "Come on, put me down and you can punish me later, I'm hungry!"

"So am I." He rumbled, his voice dropping to a seductive, husky pitch. Careful to not let her squirm away, he lowered her feet back to the ground, letting her body slide against his slowly, sensually. "Mmm..." He didn't let her say anything, just bent down and kissed her, tracing her barely parted lips with his tongue.

"Get a room, it's time to eat!"

And to think, he had been wondering what Jasina would be like pregnant with a second child, he had been out of his mind for even wondering it.

Jasina giggled softly against his lips, her entire body on fire from what Mark did and reluctantly pulled back, her teal eyes already clouded over with barely contained desire. Mark knew just what to do and say to melt her body and Jasina was suddenly hungry for something else, undressing him slowly with her eyes. She stopped when Arielle walked back into the room with the lasagna, setting it on the table and began digging in. Jasina felt Mark slide his hand on her thigh, smirking seductively before taking a bite of food, suddenly starving.

Arielle's eyes narrowed suspiciously when she seen both her mother and father exchanging the lovey-dovey eyes...well actually, now that she was older and a bit more...knowledgeable...she knew that they were actually 'fuck me' eyes. It was disturbing, especially when they were all at the dinner table and supposed to be eating. She pushed away from the table and ignored their suddenly curious stares, looking beneath it before straightening up and fixing her stare on her Dad.

"Dad, not at the table." She ordered evenly.

Mark looked at her innocently.

"What's scary is that you can actually pull off that look...just not with me."

"Busted." Jasina murmured and squeezed his hand before pushing it off of her thigh, nodding at Arielle. "Sorry honey, your father is being...he's just not being very polite tonight." That was not the word Jasina wanted to use, but even she had limits when it came to Arielle and smacked Mark's hand when he went to grab her thigh once more, eyeballing him sternly. "Do it again and I'll move to sit across the table." She took another bite and winked at their giggling daughter, sighing when Arielle immediately began texting at the dinner table. "Arie, you know your father doesn't approve of that..."

"I know sorry, it's Toni and she had to ask me an important question about the assignment that's due on Friday. Sorry Dad, almost done!"

Neither parent realized Arielle was lying through her teeth.

Pointedly, Mark waited until Arielle was done texting to resume his meal, drumming his fingers on the tabletop the entire time. When she had finished, he held out his hand. "Give it here."

"What? No."

"New rule, no cell phones at the dinner table. No more textin' at the dinner table. This is family time. Give it."

"How bout I just shut it off?" She suggested, powering it down and stuffing it in her pocket. "There, no more phone."

To keep the peace between her daughter and Mark, Jasina took Mark's hand with a nod, her eyes turning to Arielle. "If you text at the dinner table again, you will have it taken away. I don't care if Toni has a question about school, it can wait until after dinner."

When Arielle reluctantly nodded, Jasina winked and resumed her meal, hoping Mark didn't mind her stepping in to diffuse the situation. There was no reason to take away her cell phone when she shut it off and put it in her pocket, but if it happened again, Jasina wasn't going to jump in. She was a good kid and got straight A's in school for the most part, so she deserved a little slack.

So long as she kept it shut off and in her pocket, Mark didn't care. If the damn thing went off during anymore meals, there was going to be a problem. If it was an emergency, people could always call the house phone. He nodded to Jasina before finishing his meal.

"I'll clean-up afterwards, darlin'-" He said to his daughter between bites. "Since you cooked."

Arielle nodded, busy with her salad. "I made pudding for dessert."

Mark had dessert already taken care of.

After chocolate pudding, Jasina began clearing the table and walking into the kitchen, Mark already at the sink. She felt guilty and set the dishes down before wrapping her arms around his waist, kissing his back softly. "Why don't you let me deal with this mess and you go take a shower?" She suggested, running her nails slowly up and down his shirt covered stomach, knowing he hadn't had time to shower before dinner after a hard day at the shop and dealing with Steve's wedding torment. "Go on, I'll take care of this."

She managed to coax Mark away from the sink far enough to where she could start doing this, winking over her shoulder and began washing them. Given that he had only taken the time to wash his hands and face, -his hands had been covered in grease and his face had a few grease marks- Mark really could not turn down that opportunity. Chuckling softly, he stepped behind her and kissed the top of her head, which was easy since she was quite a bit shorter than him.

"Tell you what, when you're done with these, why don't you come join me?" Mark suggested, moving a hand to gently grip her ass, giving it a firm squeeze.

"I might take you up on that offer. Now get goin', this won't take me long."

She shooed him out and purred when he smacked her ass again for good measure, wondering if Mark had some kind of ass fetish he hadn't told her about. Chuckling, Jasina turned back to do the dishes and stared out the window while doing them, sighing with a heavy heart. Here she was standing at the sink doing dishes and joining Mark in showers, staying the night.

Was it really that hard to just ask Mark if he wanted to live together? Jasina was a coward and rinsed the dishes, deciding they could air dry. Mark had already put what was left of the lasagna and pudding away in the fridge, so Jasina didn't have to deal with that.

While Jasina did dishes and Mark showered, Arielle took the opportunity to walk out on her balcony and closed the doors behind her, so nobody would overhear her conversation and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number. "Hey baby doll." His deep voice greeted, sending her heart racing as the biggest smile crossed her face, loving the sound of it. "I was wonderin' if you would ever get time alone to give me a jingle. What's up?"

"Nothin', just finished slaving over a meal for Mom and Dad." Arielle replied teasingly, trying to will her heart to stop fluttering in her chest the way it was. She had heard her Mom tell Dad to go get a shower and knew she had plenty of time for this conversation. No doubt Mom would join Dad, her parents thought they were slick; she knew better. "I've got to stop textin' so much though, it's really getting on Dad's nerves. He about confiscated my phone."

He chuckled softly, not surprised in the slightest and leaned back against the headboard in his room, enjoying the sound of her voice. "Well we can't have that now, can we?" He sighed deeply, wishing he was there with Arielle, having missed her like crazy. "You are a textaholic." He laughed, hearing her scoff in response. "Just kidding baby doll, you know I love fuckin' with you."

"I love you too, you know I do. And I will openly admit to bein' a textaholic, though I think there's someone else to blame for that." She teased, settling herself down in one of her patio chairs. She had herself a nice little set-up, perk of being an only child with a comfortable father and mother. "I'm countin' down the days. I just don't know how I'm going to explain it to my folks, eventually they'll have to know."

"You could try." He shot back playfully, standing up to stare out the window and felt the breeze blow through the screen, the full lit moon shining brightly in the sky. "And you know I already love you too, Arie. I never stopped...not even after what happened. We'll tell them together when I'm finally back home where I belong in just a few weeks. I'm sorry I'm gonna miss your birthday though." He felt guilty about it, running a hand through his short black hair. "Your Dad is gonna flip when he sees me again after all this time, you know that right?"

"That suddenly makes me kinda glad you're not going to make it to my birthday." She was only half-joking. "To be honest, it's not going to be a big deal, it'll be my 'rents, their friends, and Toni. And he won't flip...well yes, he's gonna flip, but I think Mom will calm him down. Enough time has passed, they should be over...it." Well maybe not, considering everything that had happened that weekend...She swallowed hard.

"Look, this is just a shot in the dark, but...I have an idea...sort of." He was stammering and felt like an idiot, moving away from the window to sit down in front of his computer, leaning back against the chair, propping his feet up. "What if you talked to your Mom? You two are closer than you and Toni...almost anyway. Why not just sit down and talk to her about what's been going on? I know it's a long shot, but if you want her on our side, you've gotta tell her, Arie. Because you're right, if anyone can restrain your Dad from murdering me, it's her." He was making sense and hoped his girlfriend listened to reason, still not believing they'd been together for four long years and only saw each other via webcam whenever they were completely alone.

It didn't happen often unfortunately.

"You practically read my mind." Arielle teased, glad they were on the same page. "I know this is going to sound bad, but I kinda want to wait until after my birthday because I know they've been car huntin' for me. If they find out before then, no car." Given that she was going to be leaving for college soon, she really needed one and did not have the money to buy one for herself. "I know that sounds really selfish, but...I'm such a brat." She sighed, reaching up to massage her forehead.

"No, you're just taking a different approach and I'm not coming back until two weeks after your birthday."

He didn't want to make her feel like she was a bad daughter because, honestly, Arielle was a saint compared to some of the girls he'd met. He was one hundred percent faithful to Arielle. There was no other woman he wanted in his life and would prove it as soon as they were face to face again.

"Don't worry baby doll, everything will work out. Just focus on getting through your birthday, get the car and, if worse comes to worse, we can use it to escape your Dad." He smiled when she began laughing. "That's my girl; I love hearing you laugh, you know that?"

"God, how do you do that? Make me feel like everything will work out when we both know there's going to be hell to walk through first?" She shook her head, unable to stop smiling and turned her head when the bedroom door opened. Arielle waved at her Mom, who was probably checking in before heading for the shower, mildly surprised she hadn't made it there yet. "Hold on, Toni, let me see what Mom wants." She said, knowing he would understand and opened the balcony door. "I'm going to finish walkin' Toni through the assignment and then call it a night." She assured her Mom, really hating lying, but at the same time knew it was what she had to do for now.

Jasina smiled, trying not to pry into her daughter's personal business too much and nodded. "I just wanted to say I love you and sweet dreams. Thanks for a great dinner sweetheart, see you in the morning." She extended her arms as Arielle hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "Tell Toni I said hi." Knowing she couldn't stall any longer, Jasina headed out closing the door behind her and headed toward Mark's bedroom.

"Coast clear?" He chuckled when Arielle grumbled, knowing it was killing her to have to lie about who she was talking to, but she wouldn't have to do that for much longer. "You do realize the first thing I'm doing when we see each other again right?" When she sounded confused and asked what, his voice lowered even more, turning husky. "I'm kissing the breath right out of you and never letting you go."

"Good, because I wouldn't want you to let me go." She said, her own voice coming out a purr, and was glad he couldn't see her because she was fairly certain she was blushing a little bit. Arielle didn't try to play seductress because she knew she wasn't one, but damned if she could help the way her voice and body reacted to him. "Not much longer now...it's hard to believe after all this time we'll finally see each other."

"I know baby doll, but the waiting will make things that much sweeter when we are finally together again. And I'm telling you right now, I don't care what your old man says or thinks. He's not keeping me away from you. If I have to, I'll wait until you leave for college or you turn eighteen and then he can't say jack shit."

He wasn't letting her go, not this time. He knew they made a mistake all those years ago and it was mostly his fault because it was his idea. Arielle had come to him crying, wanting her parents back together and he mentioned in a joking way what if they kidnapped them.

"Nobody is going to take you away from me again, Arielle." Needing a nicotine fix, he lit up a cigarette and closed his eyes, knowing he probably upset her by getting worked up.

"He'll get over it right quick." Arielle said flatly, knowing damn well this was going to cause a major explosion in their household, but she wasn't going to back down.

She would be leaving for college and had another year -almost- until she was eighteen. There wasn't much more her parents could say or do to her at this point to change her mind. Emphasis on much, she would still have to play things cool for just a little while longer.

"Everything will work out fine."

"That's my spitfire I love so much." He sighed when a knock sounded at his door, finishing off his smoke before putting it out in the ashtray. "I gotta go baby doll. I'll talk to you again soon, text me. And try to get some sleep, don't be slackin' on your schoolwork."

"Yeah, because like I ever slack." Arielle rolled her eyes, knowing he was just picking on her. She was a straight-A student, which is why she got to pick where she went to for college, even if her decision had upset her folks given that she could have probably made an Ivy League university. " I love you, bye." She hung up immediately afterwards as was her habit, knowing if she didn't she would have dragged it out longer.

Crazy in love came with some side effects.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Where the hell have you been, woman?" Mark laughed when Jasina finally joined him in the shower, pulling her under the hot sprays. He was clean now, but that didn't mean he couldn't take another shower, providing he got good and dirty first, smirking at the thought.

"I had to say good night to our daughter didn't I?" Eyes closed as soon as the sprays cascaded down her body and Jasina ran her fingertips down his chest, the scent of his body wash combined with him in general making her head spin. "And the kitchen is clean."

Mark turned her around, lathering her short chestnut hair in the shampoo and leaned back against him, enjoying these moments when it was just the two of them. He took his time shampooing her hair. Mark had loved it when it was long, but also loved it short, his hair was long enough for the both of them.

"You didn't have to clean the kitchen." He added as an afterthought, gently turning her so she was standing underneath the sprays, beginning to rinse her hair out, his eyes focused on her face intently.

Jasina simply rolled her eyes with a smile, shrugging nonchalantly. "I didn't mind considering I was the only one who had a day off today. You worked hard and so did Arielle. I eat here practically every night anyway." Her eyes opened and locked with his, tracing his bottom lip with the pad of her thumb and sighed when his mouth covered hers in a soft kiss. "I enjoy doing things for you, Mark."

"Mmm...I enjoy doing things to you, Jasina." He purred back, still not believing after four years Jasina still had this much of an effect on him.

Eventually, he was going to have to break her of her housekeeper-like tendencies. She didn't live there so he didn't see any reason for her to be cleaning up after them; they weren't that messy to begin with usually. Then again, she did sort of live here...he was confusing himself with the circular thinking. Mark pushed aside those thoughts and reached for the liquid soap, brushing purposefully against her as he did.

Their relationship was based a lot of sex, even though they shared a daughter, but there was no serious commitment. Jasina felt stupid every time someone asked her about her dating situation, only to tell them she had a boyfriend of four years. They looked at her like she'd grown some kind of plague and it was starting to get old. The feelings Mark produced inside of her never did and neither did the sex, but Jasina felt she deserved more.

She wanted everything with Mark and began wondering if he did as well because they weren't actually spring chickens and time was flying by so fast. Their daughter, the only thing that really connected them besides sex, was about to graduate high school and go off to college to start her own life. Then another thought occurred to her: what if Mark didn't deem her worthy to marry again or even allow her to live under the same roof as him?

Mark had no idea what came next after Arielle moved out, he never thought that far ahead. He had planned his future out once and that had ended badly, so he figured him and Jasina doing things one day at a time was working out quite well. Eventually, she would pretty much have all her things here -if the way she kept bringing stuff and forgetting about it was any indication- so he didn't plan on being alone once Arielle was gone.

"You still mad at me?" He asked when she lapsed into silence, knowing the car issue had not yet been resolved even though they had a good night afterwards.

"No, I trust your judgment with the car and I know she'll love anything on four wheels at this point." Jasina chuckled, rinsing the rest of her hair out after applying conditioner, not taking much since her hair was now a pixie cut. "You finished?"

When he nodded, Jasina turned the water off and watched as Mark stepped out first, wrapping a towel around his waist deftly before holding one open for her. She stepped right into it as his arms went around her, his lips instantly attaching to her neck, knowing there would be no reason to dress that night. Pushing all the negative thoughts out of her mind, Jasina became lost and felt him lift her up in his strong arms, carrying her to the bed.

He wasn't about to dwell on the car issue since apparently she had resolved it in her mind. Though, he did wonder briefly why she had made such a fuss earlier if it wasn't that big a deal. He was never going to and never would understand women. Mark put it right out of his mind; he'd focus on it later. Gently, he laid Jasina down on the bed and stood there, staring down at her through the dim light that came in from the open curtain, he never bothered with lamps.

"You're beautiful Jas." He murmured softly, drinking every inch of her in.

"Well aren't you the charmer tonight. Now come here." She crooked her finger at him with those darkened teal eyes again, pulling him down on top of her as their lips met again, the towels floating to the floor moments later.

**~!~  
**

"Goddamn it I'm late!" Jasina groaned, running around like a chicken with her head cut off as she slipped on her skirt, not believing Mark forgot to set the alarm. He was currently downstairs in the kitchen making Arielle breakfast for school while Jasina desperately tried finding the pumps she knew she packed. "Fuck it, I'll wear these." She suddenly stopped and started noticing all the things that she left over at Mark's, chewing her bottom lip and wondered if he wanted her to take some of it home. 'I'll deal with it later, no time right now.' She thought and rushed out the door, practically flying down the stairs. "Morning." She greeted quickly and took a piece of toast that Mark handed her along with the cup of coffee, hoping he knew she was in a hurry since he had to drive her to work.

"I called Trish, she knows you're running late and she asked that you stop and pick her up another latte and some turnovers from the cafe on your way in." Arielle said from her place at the kitchen table where she was adjusting her homework into neat piles, already showered and dressed for the day.

"Sorry, darlin', I forgot to set the alarm." Mark apologized, though he wasn't entirely sorry because part of it was her fault for being so distracting.

"You are my lifesaver, thank you Arie." Jasina walked over and kissed the top of her head before moving to give Mark a quick kiss, sitting down at the table. "Don't worry about it, I should've been more alert before bed last night." Though a hot sexy Texan made her mind go blank and all focus went on him. "Latte and turnovers, got it." Jasina yawned and took another sip of her coffee, glancing over at Arielle, glad she didn't have her phone out. "Before I go, I wanted to know if there's a certain...theme you want for your party. You're a bit too old for balloons and streamers, so give me some ideas because your mother is clueless and I can't think right now."

"You sure? She looks like she still likes My Little Ponies..."

"Dad, you know I would kill you, right?"

"Strawberry Shortcake?"

"Mom, there doesn't have to be a theme. Just us, Steve and Trish, Toni and her folks are fine, something low-key. Without any kiddie themes." Arielle shot her Dad a warning look. "No Barbie either."

"Your Dad has decided to leave the decor up to me, thankfully." Jasina flashed Mark a quick smirk, deciding since he picked the biggest birthday gift of Arielle's life out without her, she was going to decide on decorations without him. It was more her forte after all. "I was thinking just having your favorite color, purple, with a few lights and a cake of course. Then, if you want, you could invite a few more of your friends over for a pool party. How does that sound?"

"Cool, any of my friends?"

"Sure, just not a whole bucket load, that would be the opposite of low-key. And not Toni."

"Now you're just tryin' to be cute." She began wolfing down the contents of the plate he set in front of her, trying not to smile. Her Dad definitely had a twisted sense of humor sometimes.

"You know, you could invite that Ron kid, the one who asked you-"

"Dad, he's a dork. He wears a tie to school, who does that? Seriously."

"Yes, any of your friends is fine. No booze and there will be adult supervision going on. So don't think you'll have free reign to do whatever you want."

When she nodded, Jasina was satisfied and finished off her toast and eggs, knowing they really had to go because Mark was opening the shop today. They would drop Arielle off on the way, which was the normal routine and Jasina was already heading out the door, deciding she would be getting another latte for herself. Caffeine was going to be her best friend today.

Given that her parents had given her permission to invite anyone she wanted, Arielle was tempted to take the loophole, but she was pretty certain her birthday party was not the time or the place to spring her little secret on them. On the other hand, there would be people there so she was less likely to get killed, not to mention her boyfriend. She'd have to think on it.

"Alright ladies, get your asses in gear, we can't all be late." Mark joked as he headed out the back door, dodging a slap Jasina aimed in his direction.

Something was on Arielle's mind, Jasina knew her daughter well, but decided against talking about it in front of Mark. She was going to be seventeen in just a few short days, her party was waiting until the weekend because Mark flat out refused to distract their daughter from her studies during the week because of a birthday. They actually got into an argument over it and, in the end, Mark won.

Jasina waited until Arielle was in the middle before climbing in, buckling up and sent her daughter a quick text. **Whatever is on your mind, remember you can talk to me about it. Love you angel.**

**Nothing is wrong. Just a little nervous about college and everything. I'm fine.** Arielle texted back just as quickly before stowing her cell in her bag and setting it on her lap, signaling their phone conversation was over.

"Sittin' side by side and still usin' those damn phones." Mark was only half-joking, half-annoyed as he climbed in, quickly fastening himself in before starting the truck. "I will never understand-"

"Well, if you like, we can discuss my period with you out loud." Arielle said sweetly.

Mark made a disgusted face. "No, I'm good. By all means, text away."

Jasina giggled and wrapped an arm around Arielle's shoulders, winking down at her. There were some things they could not discuss in front of Mark, like periods and boys, though hadn't really been interested in boys throughout her high school years thus far. That's when something occurred to her and Jasina had to look away to stare out the window, realizing what had Arielle so distracted lately.

It had to be a boy.

Deciding not to say anything to Mark about it, Jasina would let her daughter come to her. She didn't want to push Arielle with the subject because it was very delicate. She couldn't help wondering who had captured Arielle's attention though, knowing he had to be pretty special.

Periods they could keep to themselves, but if Mark ever had even an inkling there was a boy in the equation, he would have probably been very interested in the conversation. If he had known that Jasina was purposefully leaving him out of the loop, he would have been pissed to say the least. As it was, he didn't know and he was just grateful that he was being spared the details.

"School first, then-"

"Coffee and pastries for Trish." Arielle stated as a reminder. "I'm sure Mom remembered. You did remember, right Mom?"

When Arielle had to nudge Jasina to get her attention, she jolted out of the deep thoughts and looked down at her daughter. "Sorry, got distracted for a second. What did you say sweetheart?" She smiled apologetic, nodding when Arielle reiterated what she needed to do for Trish. "Yeah, just go to the same place we always get them. I desperately need some java..."

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

"No, but nothing a shot of caffeine can't fix."

"Dad, you really need to let Mom sleep when she stays over once in awhile." Arielle chastised playfully with gleaming emerald eyes.

They pulled up to the school and Jasina was red as a strawberry, letting Arielle out while shaking her head. "Go to school and learn something."Jasina ordered in a grumble.

"Yeah, it'll be my luck they'll be holding Sex Ed classes today and I'll have to tell them I know that sex makes you tired." Arielle joked, just to see her Mom turn even redder, if it were possible. She smiled innocently when her Dad told her to mind her manners and not even think about sex ever. "Now would I do that?"

Mark groaned, lowering his head to the steering wheel. "Why me?"

"Bye guys, love you." Laughing, she headed into the building, catching up with the waiting Toni.

"Okay, why is your Mom as red as a tomato?" Toni had to ask and laughed along with Arielle when her friend happily filled her in. "Wow you are EVIL, girl." They both headed inside still laughing.

Jasina was going to make Arielle pay for that, scowling as she hopped back into the truck and slammed the door shut. "Don't even start laughing, Mark Calaway." She ordered, slapping him upside the head when he began roaring and folded her arms in front of her chest with a huff. "It's your damn fault I'm tired so I think I'll let YOU pay for Trish's order and a shot of espresso for me." She smiled sweetly and rolled her eyes when Mark just handed her two twenties. "Smartass."

"Have my moments." He grinned at her wickedly. "While you're in the coffee shop, I could do with a cup of black, I'm feelin' a bit rough around the edges this morning m'self." He began laughing when she swatted him again, knowing this was definitely the way to kick off the day and looped his arm around her, pulling her across the seat until she was sitting in the spot Arielle had vacated, kissing the top of her head. "Alright woman, let's get you to work before Trish has a conniption."

They arrived at the coffee shop, taking the drive-thru and Jasina ordered coffee and pastries for Trish, along with them, and a shot of espresso for Jasina. She kissed Mark and thanked him before downing her shot, immediately eating a pastry afterward so the espresso didn't eat a hole in her stomach. They pulled away from the shop and headed toward the newspaper, which Jasina dreaded, hoping she got everything Trish wanted. Being pregnant, Trish's moods shifted sometimes violently and Jasina just hoped today was a calm one, sipping her coffee while leaning against Mark.

"I'm going to stay home tonight, just thought I'd let you know. I have a deadline that's due and I didn't work on it last night, not to mention I wanna do some birthday shopping for Arielle."

With Mark around, Jasina couldn't concentrate and hoped he understood. Not to mention, she needed some space to reflect on their relationship. There were a lot of doubts lately and being away from him would clear her mind completely, which is something she needed.

"That's fine, I got to work on the roof tonight anyway. That wind storm we got the other day knocked loose some of the tiles and I want to get them repaired before we get any bad weather." He said, not taking his eyes from the road. She had her own life outside of him and Mark respected that because he had his own life outside of her. "Need any money for shoppin'?"

"No, I do have my own money and you need to focus on getting that car ready for Arielle's party."

Jasina wasn't sure if she should be offended by his offer, pulling back slightly to stare up at him with guarded teal eyes. She had a great job that paid well, probably more than Mark, though she refused to get a huge ranch because it would be too hard to keep up with. It was just her. Arielle had her own room, but that was it so there was no reason for Jasina to move from her small townhouse/condo that Trish set her up with when she didn't need all that space. It was definitely time to give Andy a call because talking to Trish regarding her relationship with Mark would just get back to Mark through Steve, which Jasina didn't want.

"I'll call you tomorrow sometime." She kissed his cheek and got out of the truck, heading inside with a frown, coffee and pastries.

He watched her walk inside the building before pulling away from the curb, knowing he had somehow pissed her off, again. Mark was getting pretty good at doing that. He had no idea how much she made from her job as a writer, but knew how much he made co-owning a business on top of other investments he had made over the years. He was going to have to talk to Steve. Lord knew that man pissed off his wife enough he probably had a list of triggers he could share and drove off toward the shop.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Trish immediately went for the pastries and coffee, kissing Jasina's cheek before heading to her office, not even caring if her prized writer was late at this point. The baby was craving something sweet and apparently Jasina nailed which pastries to get, smiling softly. She headed into her office and sat down, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

Why was it so hard to talk to Mark about how she felt? Why couldn't she just be honest with him and take the plunge? The worst that could happen was their relationship ended, but that wouldn't mean she'd lose Arielle. Her daughter was the most important factor in all of this and even she'd asked Jasina a time or two why she didn't live with Daddy.

Jasina simply told her that they were happy with the way things were and they'd move in together when the time was right. Arielle hadn't asked her about it since, or tried pulling any other crazy stunts, thankfully. Sending Andy a quick text message that simply said she needed to talk tonight, Jasina fired her laptop up and began working, her only escape from everything else going on in her life.

"Jasina, I need to see you right now!" Trish bellowed from her office, every person in between her office and Jasina's getting to their feet.

They were all aware of their boss's mood swings and on call to go into 'action' if Trish went into labor here at work since she refused to take any time off until AFTER the baby was born. She didn't even wait for Jasina to come to her, just started walking towards her friend's office, waving away offers of assistance. Glaring down at her stomach, which was taunting her by impairing her vision of anything below or directly in front of it, Trish continued on impatiently.

Jasina stumbled out of her office, papers flying behind her, but nothing else mattered except what her boss and friend wanted. Though when they were at work, it was strictly professional...unless of course Trish needed something regarding the wedding. She slid to a halt just as Trish met her, teal eyes widened slightly, breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?! Are you hurt, in pain? Is it the baby?!" Jasina had to learn how NOT to panic, but couldn't help doing so when it came to Trish.

"What? No, it's not the baby!" Trish looked momentarily confused before shaking her head, her usually platinum blonde hair back to its natural brunette since she had stopped dying it after the first trimester. "Look!" She waved a sheaf of papers in Jasina's direction, handing them over when Jasina reached for them. "You're in the list of nominees for Journalist of the Year!"

"WHAT?"

Jasina snatched the paper from Trish's hand, staring down at it and felt her jaw drop in shock, covering her mouth with her hand. Journalist of the YEAR? Jasina had no idea how much of an impact her articles and question answering had throughout Houston, blinking to make sure she didn't have any vision impairment.

"I-I've been nominated..." She whispered softly and slowly looked up at Trish, tears filling her eyes, the biggest smile crossing her face. "Wow...T-Thank you." There was nothing else she could say.

"What're you thanking me for? I had nothing to do with it." Trish said, beaming like a proud parent at her child, which Jasina was not though...pregnant, hormonal…people had to deal with it. "Your readers did. You know how this works, every year they do the statewide honors, allow readers to vote on prospects and narrow down the nominees...This is proof of how good you are, congratulations."

"No, actually, you have everything to do with it. If it wasn't for you hiring and pushing me, I would NOT be where I am today." Jasina meant every word she said and hugged Trish as tightly as she could without hurting the pregnant woman, pulling back with a big grin on her face. "I can't wait to tell Arie and Andy!"

Jasina rushed back into her office and set the paper down on her desk, deciding she would possibly frame it. Winning really didn't matter. She was already a winner and Jasina was definitely going to celebrate regardless.

"You're going to let me take you out to dinner, someplace fancy. We'll bring our men, celebrate this good news and you all can drink champagne while I do the sparkling white grape juice and pretend there's alcohol in it." Trish laughed, genuinely happy to see Jasina finally reaping some recognition for all her hard work.

"Tonight?" Jasina tried not to cringe, but Trish caught it, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "I kinda told Mark I was staying home tonight and..." When Trish flashed the sad puppy dog brown eyes, Jasina knew she couldn't refuse and simply nodded, owing this woman everything for all the success she had. "Okay...I'll call Mark right now, if you don't mind since it's during work hours, and tell him about it."

When Trish smiled, doing a total turnaround, Jasina sighed with inner relief and went to dial Mark's number at the shop. She really did not want to see him after their awkward moment when he dropped her off, still not believing he offered money. Mark was in the middle of a very serious conversation when Jasina called, wondering if it was an emergency because normally she didn't bother him during office hours, not out of respect for him but because she was generally too damn busy on top of being professional.

"Is this a life or death situation?" He asked when he picked up the phone, followed by 'hold on' and rested the phone on his knee. "I don't care if you like it or not, I want to see her stripped down to the bare essentials! Completely fuckin' naked! Got me man?"

"I got ya, but I don't think yer gonna like what you see. She's no looker."

"Stripped."

Jasina overheard that and swallowed hard, feeling as though her heart just plummeted to her stomach, feeling her breathing grow labored. She didn't know what to think and felt the tears prick the back of her eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. He was CHEATING on her?

He was supposed to be working on cars, not cheating on her with apparently ugly women!

Jasina couldn't handle this right now and hung up before he got back on the line, not knowing how she was going to break this news to Trish. Mark was trying to call Jasina back, wondering why the hell she hadn't waited. While he tried reaching her for the third time -wondering why she wasn't answering her phone- he gestured Steve back to work.

"Go finish."

"I'm tellin' you man, once I get the SUV stripped and bare-assed, you're going to hate me." Steve clarified as he headed back for the garage.

Taking a few deep breaths, Jasina stood up and walked out of her office right into Trish's, closing the door behind her. "I hope you understand that I can't go out with you, Steve and..." She couldn't even say his name, feeling sick to her stomach. "Trish, would it be alright if I left for the rest of the afternoon? I'm not feeling good suddenly."

Trish had not missed the way the sparkle had gone out of Jasina's teal eyes, wondering what the hell had happened to make her go from elated to depressed so quickly. The only thing she could determine was it was men issues and her brown eyes began spitting fire. "What happened? Who do I need to go postal on, Jas?" She asked quietly, reigning in her anger.

"Nothing, I'm just not feeling well and I need to leave." Jasina refused to tell Trish that she just caught Mark basically cheating on her, even though technically he had only been hollering at someone, feeling her eyes narrow suddenly. "If I were you, I would make sure that Steve isn't screwing around on you. That's all I'm going to say on the subject. I'll be in tomorrow morning."

She walked out before Trish could say anything and left the building, finally letting the tears pour down her face and turned her phone off. She didn't want to talk to anyone, especially her cheating boyfriend. Jasina sighed when she realized she had to walk home, gritting her teeth angrily.

"Great." She muttered, the high she'd been on regarding her nomination completely destroyed.

Trish could only stand there, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Just WHAT had Jasina heard on that phone call? Slowly turning a very dark shade of red, Trish closed her office door after instructing her secretary to hold all her calls and reschedule anything that might come up for Jasina, and went to call her boyfriend.

When Mark walked out to the garage to help Steve strip down the SUV, he was mildly surprised to find his friend standing there, rooted to the floor with his cell phone at his ear. He was deathly white except the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. Even from this distance, Mark could hear her screaming and decided discretion was the better part of valor, retreating quietly.

Everyone in the office heard every word that came out of Trish's mouth, their eyes wide and jaws dropped, wondering what the hell had set the boss off.

Jasina arrived home and made sure to deadbolt her door and lock all of her windows, shutting all the shades. She couldn't stop crying no matter how hard she tried, feeling as though her heart was in shambles. Why would Mark cheat on her? Is that why he didn't want to move their relationship to the next level? He was getting pussy from somewhere else and Jasina suddenly wondered what diseases he probably gave her and how many women he'd slept with.

Jasina made one phone call from her house phone and that was to her gynecologist, needing an emergency appointment and set it up. Then she ripped the phone out of the wall, cord and all, before hopping in the shower. Through tears and blurred vision, Jasina scrubbed her body from head to toe, not wanting to feel any part of Mark and stepped out an hour later, burying herself under the blankets in the pitch black darkness naked, sobbing her heart out. If Trish knew what was good for her, she would make sure Steve wasn't pulling the same thing at the shop that Mark had apparently been doing before she married his redneck ass.

**~!~**

"Dad, I can't reach Mom at all." Arielle announced when she walked into the garage office after school. She had texted her Mom during lunch, during her afternoon study period, and right after school. She had called multiple times as well, even called from the school phones, to all her Mom's lines and got nothing. "Is she alright?"

Mark frowned, wondering what the hell was going on today. Steve had taken off after that phone call, leaving Mark to work on the SUV by himself, which he hadn't minded so much. Steve had also been cursing up a blue streak and clearly beyond pissed off. Jasina had hung up on him earlier...he was missing something.

"No idea, darlin'. Let me wash up and we'll drive over to check on her. Did you try Trish?"

"She said something about 'asshole men' and hung up."

Now he was really worried.

**~!~**

Jasina slowly pried her eyes open when she heard banging at her front door, groaning as she buried her face in her pillow. Her head was pounding fiercely from crying herself to sleep, which she hadn't done in quite awhile. When the pounding continued, Jasina growled and threw the blanket off, managing to pull her black silk robe on before stumbling out of her bedroom. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, her hair haphazard and in knots, honestly not caring how she looked at the moment. It was pitch black in her condo, so when Jasina stubbed her toe, a string of cuss words flew out of her mouth as she hopped over to the door.

"WHO THE FUCK IS IT?" She bellowed, refusing to open the door if Mark was behind it, holding her throbbing foot.

"Uh, Mom? It's me, Arie?" Arielle sounded hesitant, staring at the door like she was expecting it to bite her.

She could not remember hearing her mother sound that pissed off since...since she, Toni, and Gary had locked Jasina and Mark in Mark's bedroom, trapped them in there, and tried to drug them. Yeah, that was the last time she could remember Mom sounding that way. She didn't look at her Dad, who was hiding out of sight, knowing that would tip her Mom off and found herself wondering if he had done something to piss Jasina off. It wouldn't be the first time, but this was definitely a nuclear situation.

"Shit..." Jasina hadn't expected Arielle to come see her and she really didn't feel like company, but her daughter was the ONLY exception to that rule. "Hold on Arielle." She called through the door, her voice filled with pain both emotionally and physically, flipping the light on. She unlocked the door and swung it open, pushing her hair out of her face and stared down at a very worry looking Arielle. "Sorry, I stubbed my toe and-" Her words immediately stopped when Mark stepped into view, the hatred burning in her teal eyes, gritting her teeth and began trembling from head to toe as tears formed.

Neither Mark or Arielle missed the way her facial expressions changed, both of them exchanging 'what the hell' looks before turning back to Jasina and folding their arms over their chest, unconsciously adopting the same posture. "Since you're lookin' at me like you wish I'd drop dead right this instant, mind tellin' me what I did?" Mark asked calmly, having a feeling whatever trouble Steve had gotten into with Trish was about to happen right now.

Jasina completely ignored Mark and looked back at her daughter, clearing her throat. "Now is not the time to discuss it, not in front of Arielle." She stated in a cold voice, folding her own arms in front of her chest, flat out refusing to feel bad about anything regarding this cheating bastard. "I'm not feeling well tonight, I left work early so if you need something, please tell me. Otherwise, your father needs to take you home so you can get your homework done and eat." It took every ounce of willpower for Jasina not to do something rash, like nail Mark directly in his balls repeatedly for cheating on her. To make matters worse, Jasina didn't even see it coming! "I'm sure your father has more IMPORTANT things that he'd rather be doing than standing here asking me stupid questions."

"No, not really."

"I did my homework in study hall."

"The only thing I want to do is find out what I did that pissed you off." Mark was going to wind up losing his own temper and took one step back; he could see the way she was tensing and wouldn't put it past her to do something bad, like kick him in the balls. "You called me, I asked you to hold on so I could finish with Steve and when I went to talk to you, you had hung up. What'd I do?"

"Finish with Steve?" Now she was seriously disgusted, looking as though she might toss her cookies. "Just go." So Steve was cheating on Trish, his pregnant girlfriend, who had blessed him already with a beautiful child and this wedding that she'd gone ape shit over. "I mean it, GO AWAY. I never want to speak to you again unless it's regarding Arielle, do you understand me? We're DONE, Mark. You can do whatever the hell you want because I want no part of it. I can't believe..." Jasina blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, wanting to slam the door in his face, but also didn't want to hurt her daughter. "Arielle, I'm sorry, but I'm really not feeling well right now. How about we get together tomorrow, just the two of us, and we'll talk okay? Please..." Jasina was breaking down and could feel it, fighting back with everything she could as her heart shattered repeatedly, causing physical chest pains, trying to remain strong.

"No! No Mom, that is not okay!" Arielle said in a high pitched voice, beginning to panic as she shot a desperate look towards her Dad, who was just standing there completely stunned, she could see the confusion and hurt written all over him. "You guys were FINE this mornin', what changed? What happened?"

Mark felt like someone had cut off his air supply, this had completely come out of left field and he could honestly say he definitely hadn't seen it coming. "Fine." He rasped, clearing his throat and heading for the door, not about to embarrass himself further by trying to find out what he had apparently done wrong. "I'll be down in the truck, Arie."

There was no way in hell Jasina was going to feel an OUNCE of sorrow for him, knowing it had been over between them for awhile, more tears pouring down her face. "I'm sorry, Arielle." She whispered heartbrokenly, watching as her daughter immediately ran away from the door to run after her father, which is what Jasina expected.

She slammed the door as hard as she could and slid down it, burying her face in her hands as more sobs flowed through her. He was acting like she was the bad guy when HE was the one who couldn't keep his dick in his pants and apparently had been screwing around on her at the shop! Jasina barely managed to get to her bedroom before passing out again, exhausted in every way possible from the day's events.

"Exactly what happened today, Dad?" Arielle demanded once she was in the truck, shifting to face him. "From the moment you dropped me off to just now."

"I have no idea...I took her to work, she said something about doing some birthday shopping for you. I offered her some money which now that I think about it, pissed her off a bit. I went to work and was talking to Steve about a car we're rebuilding the body on-" Even in this state he had enough sense to not mention the car was for her. "And she called, I asked her to hang on, finished up with Steve and when I went to talk to her, she had hung up. I have no idea what I did..."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gary just got back from the gym and tossed his bag to the side, yawning, when his cell phone went off. He smiled at the name that flashed across the screen and immediately flipped it open. "Well this is a pleasant surprise, baby doll." His smile turned into a frown when he heard Arielle sniffling on the other end, no longer tired as he sat up in bed. "Arie, what happened? Talk to me." His heart broke at the sounds of her sobbing over the phone, the worry overtaking him. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay and everything is all wrong here, Gary!" She wasn't worried in the least about her dad overhearing her conversation. He had immediately gone down to the basement, blasted some old rock 'n roll, and was probably wearing himself out on his punching bag or with his weights. "Mom broke up with Dad, and nobody but her knows why. She completely ripped his heart out Gary, it was so horrible, but she looked like he had ripped hers out and he says he has no idea what he did!" Half of that probably didn't make sense since she was crying so hard, but she had to get it out now before her throat locked up.

"Jesus baby doll, I'm so sorry." Gary honestly felt bad for her, knowing how much Arielle loved both of her parents, especially when they were together. After all the hell they'd gone through, he was actually kind of pissed that Jasina would do something like this to Mark, shaking his head. "He has no idea why she did it? Did she tell him why?" When Arielle cried out no, Gary's chest constricted painfully, hating that he was so far away from her, wanting her in his arms. "Is your Dad...How is your Dad handlin' it?"

"He's downstairs in his gym, blasting music...he's pretty pissed off and hurt right now. You remember how he is, he's not going to show something like that, that kinda hurt, in front of me."

Arielle dropped down on the edge of her bed, wishing Gary was there right now with her. She loved both her parents equally, but it was her Dad who had raised her and been hurt by her Mom before. She didn't believe her Mom would purposefully hurt her or her Dad ever again, but she didn't believe her Dad would hurt her Mom either.

"This has got to be some kind of mistake."

"Okay so let's go over this again. You said your Mom looked like her heart was ripped out of her chest just like your Dad, right?" Gary stroked his chin in thought, trying to put this puzzle together. "And your Mom called your Dad earlier in the day?" Arielle had reiterated the brief phone call between her parents. "What did your Dad say to your Mom on the phone?" He blinked when all Arielle said was 'hold on' followed by talking to Steve. "What exactly did he say to Steve? Maybe whatever he was saying to Steve somehow set your Mom off?"

But damn what the hell could the man have possibly said to make Jasina end their four year relationship?

"I have no idea, I didn't ask him. I have no idea what he and Steve would be sayin' to upset her THAT badly. I know they were at the shop though, so it had to be work related. I'll ask him when he's calmed down some." She got up to walk over to the door, opening it and still heard music blaring from the lower levels of the house. "Which probably won't be anytime soon...I'm supposed to see Mom tomorrow, maybe she'll tell me."

"Just don't get angry at your Mom because obviously your Dad did something to her, baby doll." He knew how Arielle could jump the gun at times and Gary knew she would choose her father simply because he raised her while her mother used to be a cokehead, finally coming back into her life nearly five years ago. "Don't get in the middle of it is what I'm trying to say. You love them both regardless of what happened and you need to keep it that way."

"I know, and trust me, I'm not takin' anyone's side. But don't jump to conclusions and say it's obvious my Dad did something to her, because it's obvious he didn't. You weren't there, you didn't see his face." She said defensively, knowing Gary would always have a bit of a hard spot when it came to her father. The man DID shoot Gary with a BB gun several times, as well as said some...choice words. They would definitely never be friends.

"I'm not saying he did, but you need to be prepared in case he did." Gary sighed, not wanting to argue with his girlfriend because it wasn't often she could call him out of the blue like this without sending him a text first. "Arie, I love you and I'm just trying to help. Whatever happens between them, just remember they both love you and don't want to hurt you. Sometimes parents just DON'T work out. Look at my Mom. She divorced my Dad after smacking both of us around most of our lives and he sent me away for what I did to your rents." Gary would never forget the look of pure murder in Mark's eyes, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "And now she's happy with a guy named Gabriel, even though he's nearly half her age..."

"My parents aren't your parents, Gary. No offense or anythin', but my folks would never smack each other or me around."

The worst she had ever gotten was her ass paddled and she had generally deserved it when it happened, such as the time they locked the folks in the bedroom. Yeah, she had deserved everything she got then, she'd admit that now. But as far as she was concerned, it had helped get her parents back together and had been all worth it.

"I'm going to go try talkin' to him, or at least make sure he ain't broken anything..." This was a strong possibility. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby doll. Call me back if you want."

Gary sighed when Arielle hung up, wishing he was back in Houston already instead of stuck here for another two weeks. She needed him and he wasn't there, Gary felt so helpless and pulled out a smoke, lighting it up and took a few drags, closing his eyes. Just a few more weeks and he would be back with Arielle for good.

**~!~**

Jasina walked into work the following day, wearing black dress pants with a black short sleeved buttoned up top, a light blue tank underneath, her hair curled at the ends with makeup on her face. She waved to a few people before walking into her office to get started on her work, knowing she was behind on it. Trish was sitting behind her desk, enjoying a tray loaded with sausage, pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast: all of it drowned in butter and syrup.

"Take-out." She greeted, the food resting on a linen, Trish didn't want to ruin Jasina's desk or anything. "If you're wondering why I'm in here, the answer is easy: My office is being repaired. I kinda destroyed it. You look like shit, want an egg?"

"No, but I will take some toast and coffee."

Jasina cracked a sad smile and walked over to sit down in a nearby chair, leaning back against it while Trish handed her the coffee and toast with an egg. Judging by how much Trish was eating and the smile on her face, Jasina had a feeling Steve apparently hadn't been cheating or he was a very good liar. Either way, it wasn't her business, deciding not to mention anything about the previous day unless Trish brought it up.

"I was totally wrong, by the way. I shouldn't have listened to you." Trish said cheerfully.

She was in a great mood. After finding out the facts, she had apologized and then gotten her feet massaged by her husband-to-be twice. Once before she went to bed and when she woke up. She was in heaven.

"Of course, I really have to make it up to Steve, eventually; poor guy. If he had hair, it would have fallen out last night." She picked up her napkin to wipe her mouth. "How are you and Mark?"

"Finished." That was the only word Jasina could use to describe her breakup with Mark, chomping on some toast, refusing to get upset. "I'm sorry about what I said regarding Steve, I was angry and upset over what I found out. I just didn't want you going through with a marriage with a cheater, but obviously I was wrong." Jasina didn't mind apologizing to Trish about her accusations against Steve, but what Mark said...Jasina pushed it out of her mind, deciding to let Trish find out for herself.

Trish had enough tact leftover to realize and accept that Jasina didn't want to discuss any of this right now and finished her breakfast, afterwards picking up her very tiny mess. "I'll leave you alone, but we're on for lunch and don't try getting out of it. I have actual business to discuss with you." She said with a cheerful smile, walking over to gently pat her friend on the shoulder. "If you need anything, I'll be kicking Joseph out of his office next."

"Got it, thanks sweetie."

Jasina moved to sit behind her desk, after tossing the rest of the mess away and sipped her coffee while beginning her next article. It was basically about heartbreak and how to cope with it, keeping busy so nobody turns to addictive substances like drugs and alcohol. Jasina was halfway through when her lunch with Trish arrived, both of them talking strictly about work and the upcoming vote for Journalist of the Year.

It was a big deal and Trish was planning on throwing a huge luncheon once Jasina won, confidence oozing out of her.

When Trish started talking about the wedding, Jasina reluctantly sat through it and simply asked that she not be seated beside Mark, agreeing to still be the Maid of Honor. She would have to walk with Mark down the aisle and Jasina was fine with that, refusing to destroy her best friend's dream wedding after everything Trish did for her. By the time Jasina walked out of work, it was nearing five o'clock and she had to pick up Arielle. Her daughter had texted her at noon asking if they were still on for that evening and Jasina wasn't about to let Arielle down again, heading toward the ranch.

Mark was on top of the roof, doing what he had intended to do the night before, repairing it. He was shirtless, his hair pulled back with a black bandana, back sunglasses over his eyes. It was hotter than hell and the way he was throwing himself around probably didn't help, nor the black skintight jeans he wore.

He had nearly wrecked himself the previous night but pulled himself together when Arielle had come down to talk to him. He had called into work today, staying home and sleeping off some self-inflicted pain before trying to get back into the routine he had for Arielle's sake. When he spotted Jasina's car coming, he took a deep breath.

"She's here." He called, hearing Arielle yell something back before resuming work.

Jasina didn't get out of the car and waited patiently for Arielle, though she couldn't help glancing up through her windshield and saw Mark up on the top of the roof, instantly becoming worried. He looked like he was sweating bullets, but it was so high up she couldn't really see anything. Even for his sheer size, the man was monstrous, but so was the house. Jasina watched as Arielle trekked out of the house and stopped just short of the car, causing her eyebrow to raise. Reluctantly, Jasina stepped out of the car, wondering what her daughter was up to.

"Come on Arie, we're going to be late for dinner." When Arielle shook her head in defiance, Jasina could feel her jaw twitch. "What do you mean no?"

"Mom, can't you just talk to him? Please? I've never seen him this way before and it worries me." Arielle admitted, not liking how her mother was looking either, like she hadn't slept her wink. She swore her parents were such idiots and made a promise to herself to never ever wind up like them. She couldn't handle the heartache that these two liked to inflict on themselves. "You look bad too..." She was going to have to lock them up again and wondered if Toni would be in for it.

Jasina really didn't have time for this, but could see how much this tore her daughter up, sighing heavily. "Hold on." She grunted, sliding back in the car to cut the engine before stepping back out, shutting the door firmly. She could see relief in Arielle's eyes and decided she had to come to a civil agreement with Mark for their daughter's sake. Walking up the sidewalk, Jasina looked up through her black sunglasses, hearing the hammer slam down against the roof. "Mark!" She called up, moving to the side of the house where she could see him better, ignoring the pain in her heart. "We need to talk! Can you come down for a few minutes so Arielle will stop being stubborn?! Mark!" She sighed when he kept on hammering and looked over at Arielle, already feeling tears burning her eyes. "He doesn't want to talk to me, Arie, now come on let's go."

"DADDY, GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

Startled by her actually screaming shrilly at him, Mark lost his balance and slid down the roof, cursing as the shingles grated against his stomach and chest. He caught the eave before falling off completely. He hung on for a moment to regain himself and then dropped, landing in a crouch.

"Oops?"

"Oops is right...fuck..." He slowly stood up, not turning to face them as he examined himself. "What?"

"Christ!" Jasina didn't even think about it and ran to him, seeing he'd lost his balance, her heart still in her throat. She cringed when he turned around to face them, the gashes on his chest pretty deep and knew they had to be treated. "Come on, get in the house and I'll treat that for you." She folded her arms in front of her chest, having pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. "Stop being a stubborn ass and get in the fucking house before I make you!" She wasn't kidding either, the anger and hurt still very visible in her teal eyes. "Do it for Arielle then."

"I'll tend to it myself, it isn't as bad as it looks." Mark said, just as firmly, his size giving him an edge in that they couldn't forcibly move him even if they both tried at the same time, glancing over at their daughter. "It's just scraped, nothing some soap, water, and peroxide isn't goin' to fix."

"I'll go get them then." Arielle hurried inside, leaving her parents alone. She was worried for her Dad, but she was conniving enough to use the opportunity given to her to get them alone.

He pushed his shades up onto his head, fixing piercing green eyes on Jasina, silently asking her what he had done.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She loved him so much.

Jasina swallowed hard and tried not to let the tears fall, but couldn't stop them as a few trickled down her face, looking away from him. "Look, the only thing I'm going to say, the only thing I CAN say, is if you didn't want to..." She was losing her nerve, but Jasina had to be strong, angrily wiping her tears away. "Why?" She finally whispered, her heart breaking all over again, having kept it together all day until now. "I-I don't understand..."

Then again, maybe she did and Jasina just didn't want to admit it. She had broken his heart and left him with an infant, had completely shattered him. Maybe this was his revenge for what she did to him all those years ago and Jasina couldn't blame him if it was.

Not only was he hurting on the outside of his chest, but the inside was in sheer agony. He stared into her teal eyes, seeing the intense pain there and knew it was mirrored in his own gaze. He had no idea what she was talking about and tried to make sense of what she was saying. This obviously had nothing to do with the SUV or the money he had offered her for Arielle's birthday. Then it hit him and he exhaled slowly.

"Look, Jasina, I'm sorry I never brought it up, I didn't know it would mean that much to you."

She was pissed that they weren't living together or something. For once, he should have listened to Steve when the man had said a woman was only happy to be in the 'dating' stage for so long before she was ready to take the next step. Of course, he knew that from experience but she had seemed content with the way things were.

"What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean it wouldn't mean that much to me? Are you serious?" Jasina whipped around to face him, gritting her teeth as even more pain radiated from her body. "IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME! HOW COULD IT NOT?" She exploded, shoving him as hard as she possibly could, not caring if she got his blood on her hands. "YOU STUPID INCONSIDERATE SON OF A BITCH, I LOVE YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? HOW? WASN'T I ENOUGH FOR YOU? DIDN'T I SHOW YOU EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY OF MY LIFE SINCE I'VE BEEN BACK THAT I LOVE YOU? AND THEN YOU GO AND DO THIS!?" Jasina could not believe the words spewing out of his mouth and had to step away, burying her bloody hands in her hair, not caring about anything anymore and began sobbing openly in front of him. "I tried...I tried so hard...and it wasn't enough...it was never enough..."

When she had slapped his chest, Mark had stumbled backwards; that had actually hurt like a bitch. All he could do was stand there and listen with wide eyes as she screamed at him, watching as tears streamed down her cheeks. He mentally kick himself in the ass for hurting her so badly, for not having taken the time to find out what she actually wanted, if she was content with the way things were between them.

"Jas please," He approached her hesitantly, not about to get struck again if he could help it. "Just...let me make this up to you, darlin'."

"How? How can you make this up to me?" Jasina fired back, burying her face in her hands, having dropped to her knees in the grass. She felt him bend down as his hands rested on her shoulders and didn't push him away, not having the strength to do so. "How long, Mark?" Jasina managed to ask once she calmed down enough to speak, slowly turning to stare into his broken green eyes, fresh tears filling hers. "Please just tell me. Just tell me how long this has been going on. Tell me why I wasn't enough for you. Tell me why you had to do this to me, to us. I thought we were happy, I was sleeping with you every night and...God how could I have been so stupid?"

Her head lowered again, wrapping her arms around herself, trembling from head to toe. She was really taking the living issue a bit too harshly. Mark had to defuse this now, preferably before Arielle came back out and seen he had totally made Jasina even more of a wreck, knowing that would earn him yet another slap on his chest. His daughter could be very mean when the situation called for it.

"Darlin', we were…we ARE happy. This isn't such a big deal, we can work it out. You can move into the ranch with me and Arie and we'll sort through this." He coaxed, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder gently.

Jasina slowly rose to her feet and dusted herself off, slowly turning around to face Mark, who was still on his knees in front of her. "Who is she?" She watched as his eyes widen to the size of saucers, maybe even bigger, hers narrowing. "I was completely and brutally honest with you about everything, Mark. I would think you respected me enough to tell me the complete truth about who you've been fucking behind my back." She placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head when it looked as though Mark had no idea what she was talking about, playing dumb in other words. "Just tell me because I find it hard to believe that you weren't talking about your stripper whore or whoever the hell you've been screwing at the shop. Is that why you haven't wanted me at the shop? Why didn't you just tell me you didn't want to be with me anymore? I'm a woman and I can handle it. This has nothing to do with moving in with you and Arielle, this has to do with you screwing someone else at your SHOP!"

It was one thing for him to actually think he had fucked up, take his licks, and try to make amends. It was another thing completely for her to accuse him of something that had never happened. He felt his frustration, confusion and hurt turning quickly into adrenaline and rage.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind woman?" He demanded, getting to his feet as well, towering over her, his eyes turning to acid. "I have never cheated on you, who the fuck planted that idea in your damn head? And what fuckin' stripper whore was I talkin' about? Why don't you, for once in your life, speak clearly?"

"Stop standing there acting like you don't know what I'm talking about, you arrogant asshole!" She shouted, refusing to be swayed because it looked as though Mark wanted to commit murder, shaking her head. "Do NOT stand there and tell me that you weren't talking about a stripper to Steve yesterday! Want me to reiterate for you? Fine!" Jasina cleared her throat so she could do her best Mark voice, getting more pissed off by the second. "'I want to see her stripped down to the bare essentials, completely fuckin' naked, got me man? Stripped!'"

"You...what?" He began laughing at her when he realized what she was talking about. "You aren't serious, are you? Next time, don't hang up on me and you'd of known what the hell I was talkin' about, Jas, which was not strippers. I was talkin' about Arie's SUV, I wanted Steve to strip her down to the bare essentials so we could basically rebuild the body. I wasn't talkin' about any other woman, you crazy broad."

"Crazy broad? Well then the next time you're talking to your buddy and you have your girlfriend on the phone, DON'T TALK LIKE YOU'RE REFERRING TO A WOMAN! Seriously Mark? Stripped down to the bare essentials, completely fucking naked? You actually talk about cars like THAT?" Jasina was both angry and humiliated by what she found out, wanting to just beat the tar out of him. "Stop laughing me right now. If any other woman overheard their boyfriend talking like that, they would've thought the same damn thing too! So don't be looking at me like I'm fucking crazy because I heard what I heard!"

"If another woman had heard that shit, and known me and Steve, she would have called me a jackass, not hung up on me and assumed I was fuckin' around, Jasina. Don't you see how ridiculous you're bein'? Now come inside and we'll talk, but I got to get this shit taken care of." He gestured to his chest, relieved the worst had passed.

This was all a misunderstanding, on her part.

"No, I'm not going inside with you." Jasina may have been acting ridiculous, but Mark wasn't helping matters by blowing this off. "Go take care of your chest, I need to stay out here for a little while longer."

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

She was wrong and admitted it, chewing her bottom lip, turning away from him to wipe the rest of her tears. She was stupid. A stupid crazy woman and probably screwed up the best thing she ever had.

"Damn it..."

Sighing, he stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. "I'll send Arielle out here, why don't you spend some one on one time with her and maybe sort through things?" He suggested, not to mention recover, having no idea what she was thinking right now.

"Are you guys done fighting?"

"I think so."

Jasina nodded to what Mark said and her daughter's question, slowly looking down at her hands, most of Mark's blood gone, just smears. She had to wash up, but also knew she had to talk to Arielle, closing her eyes when Mark kissed the top of her head as more tears fell. His hands left her shoulders and Mark headed into the house, leaving Jasina alone with Arielle, slowly turning around to face her.

"Did you still want to go out for dinner tonight?" She asked quietly, deciding she needed space away from Mark, feeling mortified that all of this had been one big misunderstanding.

Arielle eyeballed her mother, taking in the way Jasina held her hands away from her body and noted the blood on them, gathering she had touched Dad, hopefully in a non-violent manner. Arielle wasn't about to ask because she didn't want to know. She was going to accept that they were no longer fighting and hope that they would reconcile and put whatever this issue was behind them.

"Um, sure. I packed an overnight bag, you know, so I could stay the night with you, if that's alright?"

"Of course it is, you can stay with me anytime, Arie."

Jasina wanted to get out of there and knew Mark probably wanted her gone as well, both of them heading toward her car, when Jasina caught something out of the corner of her eye. There was a box with her name on it just inside the door, which was still open. Fighting back a new rush of emotions, Jasina walked up the stairs and lifted the box, knowing it was all of her things she left behind whenever she stayed over.

She put it in her car and slid behind the wheel, knowing Mark must've packed it all away the previous night. That was fine. Jasina wasn't planning on staying over at the ranch anytime soon anyway and she needed her things, placing her sunglasses on while Arielle buckled up before driving away.

Arielle hadn't missed her Mom grab the box, but bit her lip to keep from saying anything. She was going to take Gary's advice and let them sort this out themselves. They didn't need her playing matchmaker, but knew her Dad had packed and put that out the night before in his rage. He hadn't had a chance to calm down and rethink it. She just kept biting her lip while staring out the window.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mark noticed Jasina's box of things were gone, knowing she had taken the box. He knew that was another miscommunication error in the making. Sighing, Mark went back inside, his chest slathered in Neosporin and shut the door behind him. He would give her some time before they worked this all out.

Later on that night, once the girls had ate a steak dinner and were stuffed while in their pajamas, Jasina began doing Arielle's hair, just wanting to forget all about Mark for awhile. They would still have Arielle's party at the ranch. Jasina could swallow her pride and see the error of her ways, but also knew something was bothering her daughter.

"So listen, I know that you're almost seventeen and you have your own life that doesn't involve your parents, but I also know something's been bothering you lately. You've been distant and you're hiding something." Jasina spoke softly while brushing Arielle's hair. "Arielle, whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm not going to be mad at you and I'm not going to tell your Dad. So talk to me and tell me what's going on so I can stop worrying about you, please?"

Like she was going to fall for THAT one?

Arielle loved her parents, but she had definitely learned to not trust them when it came to romance. What had just went down only further cemented that fact. Not to mention it was Gary, she'd probably wind up with a knot on her head from her mother taking that brush upside her skull repeatedly.

"Mom, nothing is going on. I'm just...worried, about college, and everything else. It's a big change is all." Not to mention the added stress of hiding a relationship, her parents being idiots...a very big change.

"It's more than just college, Arielle, I'm not stupid or naive by any means." She was nominated Journalist of the Year for crying out loud! "I've known you around five years now and I think I know my daughter pretty well, especially since you can't even look me in the eye and lie to me properly." She sighed when Arielle tensed, continuing to do her hair. "I know your Dad can be very intimidating." That was an understatement, more like deadly. "If this has anything to do with a boy, you know I'm on your side right?" What else could it possibly be about? Jasina had mulled this over in her head and came to the conclusion that Arielle had to have some kind of relationship going on. "I would never tell your father if you had a boyfriend because, not only would he threaten to blow the boy's head and dick off if he touched you, but he would lock you up until you went to college and I won't stand for it. You're almost seventeen, it's about time you found a boyfriend and started experiencing other things in life like love, romance and feeling like a woman...with limitations of course."

"Mom, please drop it. Not every aspect of my life is open to you and Daddy, some things are private and I'd like to keep it that way." Arielle pulled away, untangling the hairbrush when it went along with her and passed it back, standing and turning to stare down at her Mom. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, alright?"

She folded her arms over her chest, mimicking a stance she had picked up from her Dad, her eyes narrowing in determination. Jasina had enough fighting for one evening and Jasina decided dropping it was best, also knowing she was on the right track. She hit the nail on the head actually, though she wished Arielle trusted her enough to tell her exactly who she was dating secretly.

"You got it. Come on, I need some cheesecake."

Jasina walked into the kitchen, having stopped to buy one on the way home, and cut each of them a nice healthy slice. Arielle popped in a movie and they both curled up on the couch with cheesecake and candy, the rest of the night calm and peaceful. Arielle was more than happy her Mom had dropped the subject and made sure later that night before she went to bed to change all the passwords for her phone and laptop. Using number sequences mixed with letters, Arielle was not about to risk her Mom getting nosy. She loved the woman, but Jasina WAS a journalist, by nature, so anything in that field was nosy and she wasn't risking it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A week passed since the whole accusation went down and Jasina finally told Trish about it, which it turn got her laughed at again. Trish tried apologizing several times, but always managed to start laughing again, so Jasina just brushed it off as much as she could. Andy had called and Jasina told her everything, including her insecurities with the relationship and what happened with Mark. All Andy told her was she had to make the right decision for herself and not to jump the gun next time, to give the man a chance to explain before calling everything off. Then Andy said something that really made Jasina think and also made her wonder if her and Mark truly belonged together.

"It sounds like there's a deeper reason why you would automatically jump to the conclusion that he cheated on you. I don't believe Mark would ever do that, but it sounds like you are looking for some kind of excuse to end things with him. So my question to you is simple: Do you want to be with him or not?"

Jasina opened her mouth to say yes, but couldn't get the word out no matter how hard she tried. Was Andy right? Did Jasina want to end the relationship and had used what she overheard as an excuse to do it? Jasina thanked Andy for her phone call and hung up, feeling more confused than ever.

She loved Mark, honestly she did, but didn't know if she could go back to the way things were. She wanted more than just dating, especially after four solid years of being together, having sex and everything in between. Jasina deserved better than that, no matter what her past held, but she couldn't tell Mark because he was the one she hurt more than anything. If he couldn't see how much she loved him, if he didn't love her enough to ask her to take the next step, then Jasina would have to let him go and find a man who did want what she did.

Trish had decided to try to give Jasina more things to focus on, which was why she was currently on her way to her friend's office, smiling as she knocked on the door before stepping in. "Do you have a moment?" She asked, her smile widening when Jasina nodded. "I have a proposition for you, Jasina. How would you like to be a part of my new project?" At the skeptical look she was receiving, Trish hurried to clarify. "Not anything personal. I want to pair you up with one of my reporters, my investigative journalists. He uncovers the story, gets the information, you write it. Because honestly, while the man is great at getting a story, his ability to weave it into something people want to read is lacking, which is where you come in. That and you'll also get some field work because you'd go out with him. He's also a photographer and before you say no, you have to meet him." She stepped aside, having brought 'him' along with her. "Jasina, meet Randy Orton."

Randy stepped into the doorway, smiling politely at her, his blue eyes quickly doing a cursory sweep of her office. He was a tall, muscular man with closely cropped hair and piercing, ice blue eyes. He wore a black slacks that were suitable to the office environment, black dress shoes and a white button up shirt that he had left unbuttoned for the top three buttons with the collars rolled up to his elbows, disliking the restraining feeling.

"Hello." He inclined his head to her, his voice low, deep, and carefully modulated.

Trish had to remind herself she was happily engaged, but allowed to look at the buffet because this man was delicious.

Jasina had to learn how to breathe again at the sight Randy Orton, trying to wrap her mind around what Trish just offered her. His blue eyes were stunning and mystic all in one, which made Jasina weak in the knees. What he wore definitely showed off his muscular form and Jasina couldn't help wondering what was underneath, immediately pushing that thought out of her mind.

"Hi." She stood up and walked around her desk, wearing a yellow skirt that went an inch above the knee and had a flower embroidered on the side near the hem.

She had on a white short sleeved baby doll shirt that matched the skirt with dark blue flats that matched the flowers on her outfit. Her hair was honey chestnut hair was teased a little, though Jasina didn't have to do much with it because she'd cropped it so it sort of styled itself. She extended her hand with a smile, wearing simple blue eyeliner with clear gloss, Randy instantly swallowing hers nearly whole.

"It's nice to meet you, Randy. I'm Jasina Jameson." She hated saying her full name, but figured he needed to know it, looking over at Trish. "So you want me to weave his stories then?"

"Basically yes, and no, she's not related to Jenna Jameson, the porn star."

Randy looked mildly surprised that Trish had actually said that before grinning slightly, gently squeezing Jasina's hand in a firm handshake before letting go. "Pleased to meet you." His voice was a bit warmer with the laughter he was trying to hide.

"He's also a photographer."

"You said that, Miss Stratus."

"Mmmhmm..." Trish shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm spacing out, I'm going to go back to my office and have some tuna fish, and a power nap..."

Randy watched as the boss walked away, arching one brown eyebrow before looking down at Jasina. "When is she due?"

"Three months." Jasina answered, watching Trish's retreating form and wondered what her friend was up to, her eyes moving back to Randy. She didn't even give Jasina a chance to decide if she wanted to team up with Randy, realizing quickly she didn't have a choice. "Okay well, I just finished up my daily article for tomorrow's paper, so let's go over what you have and see if we can come up with something." She suggested, turning around and sitting behind her desk, saving her work like always before opening a new document. "Do you want me to come to you or are you bringing your stuff in here?"

"I don't have an office here." Randy informed her, carefully easing himself into the chair across from her. He was a large man who had learned the hard, embarrassing way, that chairs would break beneath him if he wasn't careful, hence the reason he used metal chairs or custom ordered. "My office is in a duffel bag, I usually travel for assignments and do any writing work from my laptop. Actually, I do everything from my laptop besides take pictures. But Trish bought out my contact from Dallas so...she wants me to help build some stories surrounding the community here to help promote local community spirit, for now."

Jasina looked down at Randy's feet beneath her desk, spotting the huge duffel bag, nodding. "Alright then." Trish definitely had an eye for talented worthy people to work for the newspaper, buying out contracts she didn't do often. To Jasina's memory, she'd only done it twice and it was her contract from when she lived in Dallas and now Randy's. "I lived in Dallas briefly for a year, I like Houston better." Jasina had no idea why she told him that, but figured they were going to be working closely together for Trish's new project, which go off without any problems as long as Randy was a team player.

"I've only been here for about a month so I'll let you know my opinion on Houston at a later date." He replied with an easy going grin, crossing one leg over the other at the ankle. "I move around a lot for the job; I wound up in Dallas to cover some weather photos from the tornado they got and got roped into staying. I'm from St. Louis originally."

They had exchanged basic information and he could already tell he was going to enjoy working with her. Trish had given him some of Jasina's articles to peruse, which were mostly about relationships and addiction, and they were good. But he agreed with Trish on that Jasina could definitely expand her work and eventually go national if she wanted too, she had that much talent. Not that he would presume to tell Jasina that, ever, he wasn't rude.

Usually.

"I'm originally from here, but I have done my fair share of traveling too. A tornado in Dallas?" Where the hell had Jasina been when that happened? Then she thought of the wind storm and nodded, remembering the violent rain that followed, which is why Mark had been patching the shingles on his roof. "That happened last Friday right?" When Randy nodded, Jasina took the papers that he pulled out of his duffel bag handing them over, reading over them carefully, taking her time. "You definitely take great notes." She complimented, which would make her job a lot easier to weave into a story that the public would read. "How about pictures?"

"I take even better pictures." Randy had brought his bag with him, of course, but he kept his photos in an envelope instead a briefcase, which he now placed on her desk and opened, letting her browse through them. "I got a really good picture of the tornado, almost got swept up in it too."

He chuckled softly at the memory. Randy could take precise notes, take incredible pictures, but ask him to write out an article or something and he was completely lost. When she began sorting through some older pictures, he hesitated slightly.

"Some of those are from overseas...Iraq mostly; you probably don't want to look at them, they're...sad." Some were also bloody.

She did it anyway. The pictures were masterful, even the sad bloody ones, though they didn't really bother Jasina. She'd seen a lot in her life, simply looking at one after the other, finally putting the Iraq ones back in the folder.

"You definitely have a talent for photography. I never was good at it, writing is my thing, so I think we're the perfect team." She smiled and looked over the tornado photos, not believing he'd gotten that close to it and swallowed hard, finally picking out the best one for the project. "Try being a little more careful when you're taking pictures. Trish wouldn't be happy if you got hurt or killed ya know?"

"I think part of the reason Trish hired me is the fact that I'm a risk-taker." Randy said matter-of-factly. "Within the situation, I'm as careful as I can possibly be, but in my line of work, you go where the images are, regardless of the conditions around them." That and he liked the thrill of being up close and personal with the elements, not too keen on the dying or serious injury aspect though. "So...since you've been here longer, where's a good place to start?"

"Actually, Trish has been trying to get information on a murder that happened a few nights ago." Jasina had overheard Trish talking about it in the meeting and pulled out some notes she'd taken, meaning to ask Trish about who was writing the story on it because she was somewhat interested. "You like danger right?" She smirked when Randy nodded, standing up to close her office door for more privacy before turning to face stare down at her partner. "There was a teenage girl found dead and buried on the outskirts of Houston a few nights ago. They haven't gotten the autopsy report back yet, but Trish has been trying to get her hands on it for a story before any of the other newspapers. Nobody has gotten a chance to go to the site where she was found to take pictures either. Think it's too much for you to handle?"

"Miss Jameson, I get the feeling you're trying to challenge me." Randy drawled, not rising to the bait, but finding her amusing regardless. "My experience in my field is extensive, I think the question is: is this type of story outside your comfort zone?"

He wasn't being mean, but challenging her right back in the same tone she had with him. He liked working with someone he could push to their limits, to do better than before, and appreciated a partner who could do the same in return for him. Jasina leaned down until she was nose to nose with Randy, her long eyelashes making her teal eyes stand out even more.

"I can handle anything. I don't really have a comfort zone and I wouldn't have mentioned this if I didn't feel comfortable doing it. It takes A LOT for me to back away from a challenge and Trish wants me to extend my field of work." She pulled back to walk over and sit down behind her desk, once again looking at the pictures of the tornado. "I'll get this started and hopefully finish it by tomorrow, there's no way it can be done tonight in time for the publisher's deadline."

"Get what started?" He asked curiously, following her gaze to his picture and hoped she didn't mean that photo.

Randy had it as a sample of his work but he no longer owned the rights to it, the Houston Chronicle did, but they had paid him a pretty penny for it. He also noted she didn't have an issue getting in someone's personal space; she would have made a great reporter. Standing, Randy began packing his things back into the bag and briefcase, planning on returning to the apartment he was renting, changing into civvies and scoping out the location of the murder.

"The tornado." She held up his notes and waved them a little, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't want me to, I won't..."

When Randy waved her off dismissively, Jasina turned back to reading his notes with a confused look on her face. She didn't mind getting in anyone's personal space when it dealt with her job, wanting to be the best. She immediately began typing, letting her fingers fly over the keys and hoped this didn't wreck her career by teaming up with Randy Orton. He realized his mind had strayed when it sunk that she was going to do a story on the tornado, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking ahead and lost track. That tornado happened last Friday and the image was used and is copyrighted by someone besides me, so..." He smiled apologetically, setting a business card on her desk. "When you're ready to get started on this murder, call me."

"So in other words, someone has already written a story on it." Jasina took the notes and photos, handing them back to him while taking his business card at the same time. "Mine is right there." She pointed to her card holder, watching him take one. "You call me when you think you have enough information and I'll be ready to roll." It was Randy's pace, not hers, and until then Jasina would keep focusing on her articles and 'Ask Jade' column. "I look forward to working with you, Randy."

Randy hesitated a moment, fingering her card before taking a deep breath. "I know I'm the new guy and you've got your way of doing things, Miss Jameson, but I think Trish wants you to get some experience outside of your area and outside of your office." Actually, he knew she did because she had spent the entire morning briefing him on her 'Journalist of the Year' nominee, sounding like a proud mother hen. "She thinks you have the makings of an investigative journalist and I can help you develop those skills, if you want."

"I'm sorry?" Then it dawned on Jasina what Randy just told her, slowly standing up from her desk. "So Trish wants me to go with you...to investigate and jot down my own notes, not just weave your notes into stories for the newspapers." She didn't know if this was a good idea, but had finished her daily work, so there was no reason why Jasina couldn't get her hands dirty. "Let me close down the office and I'll go with you. No time like the present to start, right?"

He examined her outfit thoroughly, knowing some women would find it offensive, but he wasn't looking at her as a woman. Jasina was a very attractive woman, but Randy had to keep this strictly professional, which is why he was looking at her from that aspect. More specifically, Randy thought about how her attire would look where they were going.

"How about you go home and change, I'll go home and change, and then we'll leave together?" Randy suggested evenly. "We live in the same apartment complex from what Trish says." His new partner was an attractive woman who also shared the same building as him; Houston wasn't going to be all that bad.

"We do?"

This definitely smelled like a Trish setup and Jasina wondered if Trish thought anything was going to happen between her and Randy. She was still contemplating her relationship with Mark among other things. Did she really want to jump into this project with Randy?

"I'll meet you out in the parking lot then in say, two hours?"

When he nodded, Jasina walked out past him with her purse in hand, having already shut her laptop down and headed out to her car. If Trish thought her little plan was going to work, she was sadly mistaken. Jasina definitely didn't need to jump into bed with another man if her and Mark did go their separate ways.

If Trish was trying to play match-maker, Randy had no clue about it. All he knew was she had bought out his contract a few days ago, set him up in a nice apartment, given him another job and a partner who happened to be gorgeous and a damn fine writer. He didn't know a thing about Jasina outside of what Trish had told him and his observations.

Taking his Escalade, -he liked his vehicle and felt he had earned it- Randy went to his apartment, planning on changing into a pair of faded blue jeans and one of his graphic tee shirts. He was also debating on which camera to take, nothing big or bulky, not if it was a crime scene. He didn't want anything confiscated by the cops if they were still lurking. Something small and compact, that could be hidden and also take decent pictures.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As soon as Jasina pulled in the parking lot, she spotted a motorcycle, a Titan, and knew Mark was here. He hadn't spoken to her since the day at his ranch, so what was he doing here? Sighing, Jasina knew she would probably have to cancel the investigation with Randy, heading upstairs to her condo. Sure enough, as soon as she arrived at the top, Mark was standing there by her door waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" The question left her lips before she could stop it and Jasina instantly lowered her eyes, moving to her door to unlock it.

"I'm here to talk to you." He said, thinking it would have been a bit obvious.

Mark had given her the space and the time to think things through about what she wanted, as well as himself time to think. He hadn't called her, asked Steve to ask Trish about her, bothered Arielle for information, nothing. Figuring they had enough time apart, if he didn't approach her, she'd never approach him.

"Can I come in? To talk?" Mark asked, leaning in the open doorway once she had stepped inside, not liking this new formal civility that had sprung up between them.

"Yeah sure." She was definitely cancelling with Randy, knowing this would take awhile and also knew Trish wouldn't be happy, but honestly Jasina was tired after working all day at the office. "Do you want something to drink?" She asked once he was fully in and had shut the door behind him, already cracking open a bottle of much needed wine. "There's beer in the fridge." Jasina pulled a wine glass from the cupboard and poured herself a healthy dose, deciding texting Randy would be best to tell him she couldn't make it tonight.

"No thanks, darlin'."

Mark had cut back on the beer when he started bringing home more than one case a week at a time. Several cases over the course of a week were fine, but more than a case at once, not so much. Arielle had told him two words: alcoholic and addiction; that had been enough for him to cut back and even consider quitting.

"Rough day at the office?" He was making small talk until she was ready to sit down and talk, arching an eyebrow when she contemplated her cell phone, wondering if she was expecting a call.

"More interesting than anything." She walked into the living room with her glass of wine, after taking a long swig of it, and sat down on the couch kicking her flats off. "Hold on, I have to make a quick phone call, it'll just take a minute." When Mark nodded, Jasina dialed Randy's number and sighed when she just got his voicemail. "Mr. Orton, it's Jasina calling- you know your new partner- unfortunately tonight has to be cancelled, something came up. I'll talk to you tomorrow at the office. Thanks bye."

She hung up and turned the phone off, slipping it in her purse. A text message was too tacky and Jasina had nothing to hide, taking another sip of her wine while Mark remained standing. Mark digested that information, aware she wasn't hiding anything because she hadn't excused herself to a different room to make the call, but more than a tad bit curious about Mr. Orton and their plans for the evening.

"Am I interruptin' something?" He asked casually, easing himself into an armchair, though he didn't lean back, instead sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees, staring at her intently. "New partner? You changin' jobs, Jas?"

"No, but I am extending what I do at the newspaper." Jasina answered promptly and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Trish hired Mr. Orton from Dallas, kind of like me. He's an investigative reporter/photographer. Basically she teamed us up because she thinks I'd be a great investigative reporter and he's going to train me on the job. We're going to start with the murder that happened a few days ago and the teenager was found dead on the outskirts of Houston. We were supposed to go to where she was found tonight to investigate, but...honestly I'm tired so I probably would've cancelled even if you hadn't been waiting for me." Jasina didn't see any harm in explaining to Mark what had happened and her expansion on the job. "Because I've been nominated as Journalist of the Year, one of the highest honors in my field, Trish wants me to learn and do more for the newspaper. I'll still do my articles and the 'Ask Jade' column unless it gets to be too overwhelming."

"I see, sounds like a big deal. Congratulations." Mark always wondered if she would expand past the 'Ask Jade' column.

However, he was also questioning Trish, wondering if maybe she was starting Jasina out a little big. A murder investigation sounded like something someone more experienced would do, not something to dive into with a rookie. Mark was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door, glancing at the door and then to her.

"You are a busy woman tonight, darlin'." He commented, hoping it didn't sound portentous.

Groaning, Jasina stood up from the couch, wondering who the hell was at her door. "Give me a minute okay? Please."

She hurried past him through the kitchen, wondering who could be bothering her. Trish was with Steve going over wedding plans, she'd left a message for Randy on his cell phone, so whoever this was she clearly hadn't thought of. Jasina opened the door and stared into the mystic blue eyes of her new partner, wondering if he'd gotten her voicemail.

"Randy, is everything alright?" Jasina really hoped Mark stayed put in the living room, knowing this probably looked really bad, but it wasn't her fault Randy lived in the same complex as her.

"Oh sure, everything is fine. I thought I'd come show you these." Randy held up a manila envelope. "Police reports from the murder scene." He grinned down at her, unaware he had shown up at a bad time, though his smile faded when he seen the strained look on her face. "I'm sorry, I know I should have called... I seen your apartment number on the mailbox downstairs and... I'm impetuous. I should have called." Randy had gotten home, taken a shower and changed into his jeans and t-shirt, never bothering to check his cell phone, which had been on mute anyway. His blue eyes strayed past her to the man who had come up from behind her. "Oh, I am interrupting; hell, my bad."

This was her new partner... he was going to STRANGLE Steve since he couldn't hurt a pregnant woman. "Mr. Orton, I presume?"

"Yes sir, Randy Orton. I'm Miss Jameson's new partner."

"That's okay, Randy. I left you a voicemail and you didn't get it, no big deal." Jasina could feel Mark standing behind her, glancing over her shoulder at him, and then back at her partner. "I will look these over and we'll work on it tomorrow, if you don't mind. This is the something that came up when you uh...hear the voicemail..." She refused to budge between the two men, knowing Mark was eyeballing Randy and swallowed hard. "Randy, this is Mark Calaway...my boyfriend."

At least she was assuming they were still together. Mark couldn't help himself; he smirked at hearing that, so he now had his answer and she had said it in front of the young buck who had called him 'sir', with a knowing gleam in those blue eyes. He wasn't THAT fucking old.

"Pleased to meet ya, son." He couldn't resist, knowing the age game could be played two ways.

Randy's smile never faltered because he didn't get into dick measuring contests, knowing exactly where he stood. "That's fine, Jasina." Since she had addressed him on a first name basis, he was going to tentatively assume it was alright for him to do the same. "I'm going to drive out to the location and see what I can find, maybe get some shots in. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Sounds good, thanks again for understanding Randy." She smiled and shut the door after he walked away, locking it before turning around and those emerald green eyes seared into hers instantly. "You can never stay put can you?" Jasina walked past him, needing more wine after that and raked a hand through her hair chewing her bottom lip. "Hopefully that's the last interruption, now what do you want to talk about?" She asked, after downing about half her glass of wine, not looking up at him.

Not bothering to answer her rhetorical question -of course he couldn't stay put, especially when he heard another man at his door- Mark wondered if she realized every male was competition. Didn't she know that? He settled back down in his chair, staring intently at her.

"Us, Jasina, I'm here to talk about us." From what she said to her new partner, Mark assumed there still was an 'us' and felt like a major weight had been lifted off of his chest, smiling now.

"Right..." Jasina didn't even know where to begin and could already feel the tears sting her eyes, hoping the wine relaxed her a little. "I know that I still love you and I do want to be with you, but..." How did she tell him how she felt without making him feel pressured? Jasina stood up from the couch, folding her hands behind her head, slowly walking back and forth in front of him. "I don't want to go back to the way things were. I've spent the past four years making up for what I did to you and Arielle, proving to you how much I love you, giving everything I have and more. I can't give anymore to you, Mark...Not unless you're willing to take the next step. And if you're not then this, you and me, can't work." She wiped the tears away that fell, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm not pressuring you, I'm not telling you what to do, but I have to be honest about how I feel at the same time. I have to or it'll rip me apart and I refuse to let that happen. I've felt like this for awhile now and...what happened with the phone call and the shop was me accusing you of cheating and I don't know why I did it. I honestly don't and the only thing I can think of is maybe I am insecure about us and what we're doing. I mean, all we were doing is dating right? Having sex and dating. Don't you want more than that or are you honestly comfortable with the way things are now?"

He was a guy, so of course he was, but had taken a crash course in what to say and what not to say because of what Arielle had termed Communications for Idiot Men 101. He didn't state the obvious answer. "Darlin', just what step are you talkin' about?" Mark asked gently, really hoping she wasn't talking about marriage. He wasn't ready for that, not until he had put the memory of Bridezilla Trish far behind him. She might've even scarred him for life on the marriage bit. "Movin' in together? I'd like for you to come live with me and Arie at the ranch."

Him moving into the apartment was out of the question, Mark enjoyed his ranch far too much. He wasn't ready and Jasina could clearly tell she'd caught him off guard with what she said, slowly moving to sit back down. Of course she would love to move in with him and Arielle, but so soon after this major misunderstanding?

"I think maybe you should think about this before we just rush into moving in together, Mark." Jasina said seriously, sipping more of her wine and pressed the glass to her forehead, trying not to start crying again. "I'm sorry for accusing you of cheating and acting like a crazy woman. I should've talked to you about it before jumping the gun and...all I can say is I'm sorry."

"Goddamn it woman, you are the most confusin' person I have ever known, even worse than Steve!" He exclaimed, slouching back in the chair and stared at her, obviously peeved. "You just told me you wanted more out of our relationship and, when I offered more, you tell me think about it. What the hell do you think I've been doin' these past days, Jasina? Sittin' on my ass thinkin' about the weather? No, I've been thinking about you, you and me, and what happens next. I've had plenty of time to think and I don't want to think anymore. I want you."

"You honestly want me to move in with you and Arielle, even after I accused you of cheating? I don't want to rush you and...I'm scared, Mark. Yes, I want more out of the relationship; yes I want to take the next step, but forgive me if I have a moment or two of doubt about it!" Jasina didn't mean to snap, but so many emotions coursed through her and wasn't sure how to handle them. "I screwed everything up..."

"The thing about bein' in a relationship Jasina, is that when you screw up, you can always go back and try again." Mark said gently, moving so he was kneeling between her open legs, reaching up to cup her face, forcing her to look at him. "I'm not offerin' you marriage darlin', not right now, but I'm not sayin' I don't want to marry you. But one thing at a time, because I think we have some issues we need to really handle first. But the thing is," He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "You said you were ready for the next step, and when I offered what I think is a reasonable step, you backtracked with excuses. You have to be sure you want me, darlin'."

"Of course I want you!"

Jasina cupped his face in her hands, scooting closer to him and pressed her forehead against his, breathing him in. He was the only man she ever wanted, even after leaving him to raise Arielle while she cleaned herself up. Mark was it for her and Jasina knew it.

"I just don't want to rush or push you into something you're not ready for. I didn't mean to make it sound like either I move in tonight or we're done. I'm sorry." Pulling back to stare in his eyes, Jasina searched them for any indication, any sign of doubt. "I love you and all I meant is eventually I want to move to the next step. You're not ready yet; I know you probably better than anyone and if you were ready, you would've asked me before this fiasco happened. I do want you, I really do, and we need to do what you said as far as handling the issues we have."

"And we can handle them together, at the ranch." Mark stated, standing up and pulling her with him. "I mean it Jasina; I want you to move in with me and Arielle. You were practically living there before, I just want to make it official this time around." She was eventually looking for the ultimate commitment, which he had given her once and had a feeling he was repressing some issues regarding marriage. Mainly because of how theirs had ended the first time around. "What do you say, darlin'?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Alright, okay."

Giggling softly at his excitement, Jasina squealed when he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Not caring if her skirt rode up on her thighs, she kissed him passionately as he spun them around in circles. She had a lot of packing to do and knew Mark would help her, also knowing Arielle was going to have a stroke when she found out.

He was right, they could handle their problems while living together. Maybe it was the right decision and maybe it was a huge risk, but at the moment Jasina refused to let Mark go. Andy's words ran through her mind and Jasina was following her heart, rubbing her nose against his once the kiss broke.

"We have work to do then, mister."

"Name it." He laughed, knowing they needed to get her packed up and back home where she belonged.

Getting her away from her new attractive -he was secure enough about himself to admit when another man wasn't bad looking, from a woman's perspective, he didn't swing that way himself- neighbor and partner. Secure enough maybe, but not dumb enough to trust another man around her. It had nothing to do with him doubting her, he just didn't trust other men, period.

"You wanna do this tonight?" When Mark nodded, Jasina couldn't help feeling like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders, deciding there was no time like the present. "I need boxes..."

When Mark held his finger up to gesture for her to give him a minute, Jasina began packing what she could in suitcases and bags, starting with her clothes first. She had no idea what she would do with the furniture, though Mark probably had an idea, deciding to ask him once they got to the heavier stuff. When he came back with a load of boxes, Jasina knew without a shadow of a doubt she made the right decision and Mark had this planned.

"What we don't get tonight, we can come get tomorrow." Mark informed her, wondering if he could convince her to take the day off from work, to settle in of course, nothing else.

He decided not to push his luck just yet, maybe later. Instead, he focused on getting Jasina packed and out the door before she could change her mind. He did take a moment to call Arielle and let her know she needed to make some space around various spots in the house for her mom's things. Arielle had squealed delightedly, knowing what he had come to town for and not expecting anything to come of it, or at least not this.

Their daughter was one happy teenager.

Jasina was clobbered with the biggest hug as soon as they arrived at the ranch, barely getting out of the truck and couldn't help hugging Arielle back. She knew Arielle would be happy about the move, but Jasina was still feeling butterflies in her stomach, wondering what Trish would do with the condo. More importantly, what she would do once Jasina told her the news about moving in.

"I'm gonna make a quick call to Trish and ask if I can have tomorrow off so I can finish moving in." She winked when Mark smirked, knowing they had a lot of making up to do.

While Arielle helped Mark carry Jasina's things inside, she dialed Trish's number, hoping it wasn't too late at night to call.

"Hello, Jas." Trish sounded cheerful, which she was, in the middle of getting yet another soothing foot massage from her loving fiancée. "Steve, that tickles, I will kick you right in the face." She cautioned before returning to her cell. "So, how did it go with Randy? He called not too long ago, said he had gotten some interesting photos as well as the police report. The man is amazing, you two will do quite well together."

"Yeah about that..." Jasina couldn't stop smiling as she stepped away from the house a few yards, especially when she heard Arielle and Mark arguing in the house about something. "Listen, I appreciate the opportunity to work with Randy and of course I'm going to do it, but...something happened tonight. Something unexpected and I desperately need to take a personal day tomorrow." When Trish asked why, Jasina couldn't contain her excitement any longer and practically squealed out the reason. "I'm moving in with Mark!"

"You're...moving in with Mark." Trish echoed, taking a moment to contemplate that and kicked Steve lightly in the shoulder when he stopped massaging to listen. "This is a private conversation, mister. You rub the feet and pretend to NOT listen in. Jas, you want a personal day to...what? Move in?" She rubbed her forehead with her knuckles. "Of course, if you really need one. I'll send Eve out with Randy tomorrow; he made an appointment to speak with some people who say they were nearby when the murder happened, could be nothing…could be something. You know how that goes."

"I know this is last minute and maybe fast, but hell it's been four years and I am ready to move in. Arielle is taking off school tomorrow as well because we all need to get this done in one day. Tell Steve don't bother coming in, Mark asked me to tell you that he's shutting the shop down tomorrow for the move." She was glad Trish understood, but felt terrible at the same time. "I owe you for this, honey. Whatever you need, I'm there after the move, I promise. I will make this up to you. Thank you so much for understanding."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…You can call Randy and let him know you're no-showing him his first official day of work, honey, that's what you can do for me. I have to call Eve and let her know I'm assigning her to your place." Trish said, knowing that would make Eve's day, hers not so much, and she kind of felt bad for Randy. Eve was nice, but overly-peppy; she was cute and perky, very annoying combination. "Just let me know when everything is settled, alright?"

"I will and I'll give Randy a call right now to let him know. Thanks again, Trish. Love you!" She hung up laughing when Trish demanded that Steve go out and get her a snow cone.

Poor Steve, that man was going through hell with Trish, but they were happy she could tell. Taking a breath, Jasina dialed Randy's number and looked back at the ranch, hoping she got a voicemail. Because of his line of work, Jasina wouldn't be surprised if she did and waited for him to answer or the voicemail to kick in.

She was out of luck because Randy answered on the third ring, sounding out of breath. "I just got in Jasina. You would not believe that murder scene, no wonder they're having trouble solving the case; it's a three ring circus." He said by way of greeting, standing in his kitchen in just his jeans and bare feet, downing a bottle of water. "I lined up some people to talk to tomorrow, I think you're going to learn a lot, hopefully we get some good information out of this."

Frowning, Jasina didn't exactly know how to break the news to Randy that she was taking a personal day tomorrow, sighing heavily. "That's good to hear, but listen Randy, something came up. Something life changing and I have to take a personal day tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I didn't expect Trish to drop this project and partnership with you in my lap so suddenly. I need to get a few things taken care of, so she's sending Eve with you tomorrow." She bit back a giggle when he groaned, knowing he was disappointed. "I promise, as soon as I handle my personal business, I will make sure to give one hundred and ten percent attention to you in the field, okay?

"Hmmm." Randy murmured, not agreeing or disagreeing with her. "You take care of whatever you got going, I'll see you at work Jasina. I have to go, got pictures to develop." He said his goodbyes and hung up, wondering what the hell he had gotten stuck in with coming to Houston.

"Who's Randy?" Arielle asked curiously from behind.

Jasina jumped out of her skin and turned around, pressing a hand over her suddenly racing heart. "I didn't even hear you walk up, Arie." She could tell Arielle had overheard almost all of her conversation, still feeling terrible for disappointing Randy and rubbed her temples. "Randy is a new partner Trish has me working with at the newspaper. She wants me to extend my knowledge and is basically starting me out as an investigation reporter."

"And you just called in on him?" Arielle arched an eyebrow; even she knew that was unprofessional. Then again, tomorrow was a big day. Her Mom was moving in, she felt like doing a happy dance. "I bet Trish pairs him with someone else." She said thoughtfully, knowing Trish wasn't likely to sit on a story and wondered how that would affect her Mom's chances of keeping her new additional job.

"What are we discussin' ladies?"

"Trish replacing Mom."

"She is not replacing me, Arielle. She simply asked me to call Randy -Mr. Orton- and tell him that I won't be working with him tomorrow on the project because I'm moving in here." Trish would never think of replacing her, that would be stupid and unfair. "Don't worry, Randy and Eve will handle this investigation and I'll probably end up writing the article for it, but next time it'll be my turn." She smiled, wrapping an arm around Arielle's shoulders and headed inside the ranch.

Mark didn't comment and had a feeling Trish would let Eve write the article on the grounds that since Eve went out into the field, she would deserve the opportunity and the credit. That was simply how Trish was, fair breaks all around regardless of who you were. Unless she was in one of her hormonal rages, then it was all up for grabs and cover rears.

"Is Mr. Orton cute?"

"What the hell, Arie?"

"Mom said I needed to act like a normal seventeen year old, doesn't that include checking out guys?"

"No!"

Groaning, Arielle slapped her face and ignored the incredulous look that Mark shot her, simply shooting one of her own. "She needs to start experiencing other things and that includes having a boyfriend." Jasina wasn't going to hide that from Mark and kept walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, suddenly starving. "Arie, come help me sweetie!"

"Boyfriend does not mean some guy hopped up on steroids who is also way too old for her!" Mark insisted, following them to the kitchen, ignoring the giggling coming from his daughter. She was trying to provoke him, but damn it...Jasina was doing a great job of getting under his skin.

"So you're sayin' he's pretty buff?"

"He's really hot actually and I have to admit, if I wasn't in love with your father, I'd definitely date Randy." She giggled when Arielle smirked, both girls winking at each other while they made sandwiches, something simple and easy. "He's got blue eyes and dark hair...and he's VERY buff..." Jasina squealed when Mark suddenly popped her on the ass with a towel, taking another one as she began snapping it back at him.

"Enough talkin' about men. Arie, you're not allowed to date until you're thirty-five and Jasina, you got a man right here." Mark laughed, refusing to let them raise his shackles any further, pulling them both into a tight hug and squeezed until they both started saying 'give', then released them. "That's right ladies, in this castle, I am King."

Arielle snorted at that. "Sure thing, you're highness." When he turned his back to her, she splashed water from the sink at him.

"Women!"

"Well I'm the Queen of this castle and the Queen usually outranks the King, so...Arie, date whenever you want."

She shot Mark a look that clearly said he needed to back off, which looked almost identical to Arielle's look. It was two against one, Mark had definitely caused a war of control when he asked Jasina to move in with them. This was her house now just as much as theirs, she couldn't help grinning.

Mark knew better than to say anything and just smiled at the women in his life. He knew they would gang up on him from here on out, but there was a light on the horizon: Arie was leaving for college, which would totally even out the playing field and he had his own methods for getting Jasina to see things his way. He just couldn't pull them with their daughter in the house.

"Fine, you two win, insufferable wenches." He growled playfully.

"See how that works?" Arielle giggled at her while Jasina simply went on making her sandwich, both girls walking into the living room to watch a movie while Mark fended for himself. They were both exhausted and just wanted to relax, leaning against each other while eating their food. "So are you happy I'm moving in here?" She asked Arielle quietly, wanting to make sure she wasn't stepping on her daughter's toes figuratively speaking.

"Sure," Arielle shrugged, glancing at her Mom. "So long as we understand that I am the woman of this house." She teased, nudging her Mom with her shoulder gently. "Besides, I'm leaving for college soon and Dad will need someone here with him. He doesn't like being alone and I don't really think you do either."

"Hey, you may be the woman of the house, but I am your mother so I rule all." She half-joked, winking when Arielle simply nudged her again and kissed the top of her head, loving these moments with her daughter. "You're right, I don't like being alone. Being alone sucks. It's always nice having someone besides your parents to talk to about problems and even cuddle. Just wait, Arie, the guys won't be able to handle you in college because you'll blow them all away."

"Well, I am my parent's daughter, of course I will. I get my looks and brains my from Mom, my stubborn attitude and ego from my Dad, how could anyone possibly resist me?" Arielle laughed, feeling her Mom beginning to shake with laughter from right next to her. "Hold on, let me deflate the ego."

"Yeah deflate it and then blow it back up once you're in college."

Arielle definitely would make men bow at her feet and Jasina could honestly say she was a proud mother. She continued running her fingers through Arielle's hair and looked up when Mark walked in, pressing her finger to her lips because Arielle had fallen asleep. Mark lifted her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to bed, leaving Jasina sitting there in her new home.

Home.

Her eyes closed because that one word made her heart lift with new hope for the future, knowing her and Mark still had a lot to work through, but so far this was a step in the right direction.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"That girl is getting a might bit big for me to be doin' that..." Mark groaned as he walked back into the living room. Arielle had gotten his height and appetite, though she was by no means fat, just a bit muscular, and he wasn't exactly a spring chicken anymore. Sighing, he took her place on the couch next to Jasina, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You got that 'I'm thinkin'' look on yer face, darlin'." He commented softly. "So what are you thinkin'?"

"Thinking that I'm finally home." Jasina smiled up at him and moved to straddle his lap, brushing some strands of hair out of his face before softly kissing his lips, massaging the sides of his neck. "Think you're too old to carry me upstairs?" She whispered in his ear, nipping it with her teeth and giggled when he growled, shifting purposefully on his lap. "Or should I start making my way up there so you can take your time?"

"Woman..." He growled, moving quicker than anyone his size or age had the right too and pinning her down on the couch. Thankfully it was a large couch, as most of the furniture in the ranch was, to accommodate his size and he kneeled over her, pinning her hands down over her head. "What was that about bein' too old?"

Jasina giggled wickedly and squirmed against him a little, loving the feeling of his big strong hands running down the length of her body. "Hey, you're the one who was complaining about carrying our daughter upstairs to bed, and she's about my size, just a little more muscular. I just didn't want you straining yourself." She bit her lip when he growled again, positively loving to bait him, especially when it came to his age.

That had left an opening for some jokes, but Mark was smart enough to not make them, just distracted himself with her body. Proving her wrong about straining himself and being an old man his way. Damn woman and her smart mouth, Mark loved it though and sometimes he wondered how.

"I love you, Jasina," He murmured, nipping the side of her throat. "But I'm going to have to spank that pert ass of yours if ya keep it up, darlin'."

"Ooo promises, promises..." Jasina purred and squealed out when Mark lifted her up effortlessly over his shoulder, carrying her upstairs to their bedroom.

It felt so nice being able to finally call it their bedroom, even if she was just thinking it. Tomorrow was a very busy day, but Jasina decided she would ask Trish to keep the apartment open for at least three months, wanting to go through a trial run with Mark. Because if things didn't work out between them, which Jasina wasn't sure at the moment after the incident at the shop, she wasn't going to be put out on the streets and decided she would even pay for the vacant apartment if that's what it took.

Mark wasn't focused on Jasina's moving in as being a 'trial run' so much as her new work partner. Bound and determined to make sure that when she was out in the field with Randy Orton, learning 'new skills', she would remember that every night she came home to HIM. As far as he was concerned, their past was the past and there would be no more communication errors. She wanted the next steps in their relationships, he would work on giving them to her.

"I love you." Mark murmured, kissing the top of her head before carrying her into the bedroom, closing the door and the rest of the world behind him.

**~!~**

After the move in with Mark, Jasina vowed that she would never take another personal day unless it was an absolute emergency. Of course Trish was giving her the days off for the Arielle's birthday party and the wedding, but other than that, Jasina was going to be there no matter the circumstances. She started working with Randy immediately, going out in the field and still kept up with her articles and 'Ask Jade'.

Somehow, Jasina managed to juggle all of this along with being a mother and lover to her family. Trish told her she was keeping the apartment open anyway because moving in with Mark this fast really shocked her, wondering if it would even work out. Trish didn't sugarcoat anything and spoke her mind, which Jasina respected and thanked her for understanding that she had to at least take a chance moving in with Mark.

A month passed and it was just another typical day with Jasina walking into the newspaper building, wearing black stretch pants with a black and white pinstriped baby doll that went past her hips. She was comfortable enough to go out in the field with Randy, but still keeping with the dress code of the company. Randy had his own dress code, that Trish let slide generally since he was hardly ever actually in the office.

If he needed to be in professional wear, she usually gave him a heads up and he generally kept a change of clothes in his office anyway. He was waiting on Jasina this morning, standing outside her door. Unlike their boss and some of their co-workers, he didn't barge in and make himself at home. Sipping black coffee from a Styrofoam cup, Randy held out a second cup with her espresso.

"Do you own anything less nice and more...trashy?" Randy asked bluntly, taking in her outfit in a purely professional way.

Randy filed away how beautiful she looked for a later time in the far recesses in his mind, his question completely professional-based. He was wearing a white beater that showcased his muscular upper body and arms to perfection and a pair of light blue jeans that looked like they had seen a few rough patches, which they had. He was dressed 'low class' today and for good reason.

That question caught Jasina off guard and she could only blink after taking her shot of espresso. "What do you mean trashy?" She demanded evenly, raising an eyebrow.

Jasina tilted her head slightly and folded her arms in front of her chest, actually taking his question somewhat brusque. Apparently her attire for the day wasn't to his satisfaction and Jasina was demanding to know why, pushing her black shades up on top of her head. Randy automatically knew he had ruffled her feathers, which to be honest wasn't hard to do if one knew Jasina, and he figured he knew her fairly well. Unable to hide a smile, Randy ducked his head so she wouldn't see the amused twinkle in his blue eyes.

"You look lovely today, Jas, but where we're going, you'd stand out like a sore thumb." He said straightforwardly, never one to beat around the bush. "I found out some elusive witnesses."

The ones he had gone to meet before had bailed on him but he had been able to track them down through some investigating and bribery. "He spends time in a bar down that way and it's not a...lady friendly bar, more like low-rent people. So...think old blue jeans and some kind of…semi-revealing top."

High heels, the regular kind except beat up, would have also fit right in from his initial visit to the place from his first visit. It seemed there wasn't a skanky woman there who didn't wear them. Even with outfits that clearly did not call for high heels, however, Randy didn't want to get slapped to hell and back either, so he kept those thoughts to himself.

It took a few seconds for this to sink in and Jasina wasn't sure if she felt comfortable going into a low-class place like that. She wasn't low-class, having worked her up back up to middle-class and hoped to achieve upper-class before she died. This partnership meant a lot to Trish though and Jasina felt she owed her friend and boss a lot, not able to back down. She had to go through with it and nodded, but there was a stipulation and if Randy couldn't accept it, she wasn't going.

"Well, it's time to go shopping then."

She grabbed his hand and lead him out of the door with a smile, feeling very nervous about this murder investigation. They slid into Randy's car, buckling up and headed downtown to some of the stores. Jasina had an idea of where to go since she'd gone shopping with Trish before for sexy clothing. Randy was just along for the ride at this point, wondering what the hell she was thinking but also knowing better than to deny a woman an excuse to shop.

"Jas, you do know anything you buy new is going to look new..." He pointed out cautiously, having a hard time believing the woman didn't own clothes that fit his somewhat vague yet still picturing description.

"You have absolutely no faith in me do you?" Jasina laughed and shook her head, pointing in the direction of where to go.

They arrived at the shop and Jasina hopped out, not waiting for Randy because they had no time. Within fifteen minutes, she had picked and changed into the trashiest outfit she could muster up, having flashbacks from her past. She used to dress this way and it was very uncomfortable, but Jasina was a strong beautiful woman that had changed her life, rose from the bottom so to speak.

Now she stood in front of Randy, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans that looked worn a little too much, hugging her ass, thighs, legs and hips to perfection. A sleek blue tie-dyed stretchy tube top went with it, showing off the tops of her breasts, but not low enough to show her nipples. She had on three inch black stiletto heels that had straps around her ankles and over her feet. Her eyes were decked out in blue thick eyeliner with dark blue trashy eye shadow and blood red lips, a blue choker around her neck.

"So, do I pass for inspection, Mr. Orton?"

"You know something, you women are strange creatures. You'll spend money on brand new clothes that are purposefully ripped, torn, and made to look like crap when you can achieve it naturally..." Randy mused, mainly to buy himself time as he surveyed her, trying not to be overly offensive, but drinking his fill in too. "Your heels. They look expensive. Scuff them." He suggested evenly.

Admiring the brand new shine, Randy also knew they were the 'odd man out' of her outfit. Jasina was in an outfit he would have deemed 'for the bedroom only' namely because he wouldn't want to fight any other men over her or slap a woman for calling her names. He was grateful...that his pants were baggy...feeling the tips of his ears turning red.

"Do you have scuffed up looking heels?" Jasina asked the desk clerk, smiling when the woman went to the back to show her a pair that had recently been returned.

"I can give you ten percent off."

The heels were still stiletto, but they looked like worn black leather and three inches. "Don't worry about it, I'll take them." Jasina quickly changed out of the 'new looking' for the 'worn down' stilettos, spinning around in one circle and Randy finally nodded his approval. "Good, let's go."

They'd already wasted a lot of time and Jasina actually shot Mark and Arielle a text message, telling them she was working late tonight. Knowing they were running out of time, Randy made a quick stop at a carport in order to switch vehicles, shaking his head when Jasina shot him a questioning look. Grinning, Randy opened the door to the battered, in badly need of paint that matched completely instead of mismatched, beat-down 1987 pick-up truck.

"Can't always travel in style." He laughed, going around to his side and climbing in, feeling more than a little hunched, managing for the most part. "We look poor but arrive in a brand new car...that would look odd, or like we're dope dealers." He knew exactly where they were going and getting there didn't take very long, mainly because he had become familiar with this drive. "That's the bar." Randy pointed out once they were parked, gesturing his head across the street to where a couple of women -dressed similar to Jasina- were walking, heading inside. "And the murder scene is only three blocks down."

They were on the outside of the city, in one of the more rundown neighborhoods, and he would not have brought her here at night to this place for a date ever. Jasina nodded in understanding, looking at the rundown bar and swallowed hard, trying to push her past thoughts behind her. She used to be in these bars back when she did drugs and that wasn't a place Jasina wanted to be again. When Randy asked if she was alright, Jasina nodded and looked at him with a smile, taking a few deep breaths.

"Before we go in there, explain to me everything about why we're here, who we're talking to...everything." The last thing Jasina wanted was any surprises, trying to slow her racing heart.

"We're here looking for a local, the name on the police report is Landon Bancroft, and he's supposed to be involved in some shady deals. This part of town is reputed for its drug dens, heroin mostly is the cash crop around here. The girl who was murdered was found with heroin and alcohol in her system but they don't think she over-dosed, obviously, mainly because there were no fresh needle punctures on her skin or in any other remote, hard to spot places. She was found with bruises around her throat and...that isn't important." Randy realized he was about to give her all the gruesome details and switched back to the proper track. "Anyway, Landon was said to have been nearby that area around the alleged murder time. Chances are he even did it; he has a rather colorful criminal record. So we're going to go in there, spot him, see who he's with and, if possible, I'll try to chat him up. If he's surrounded by people, we'll just observe and see what happens."

"Under NO circumstances are we doing anything besides talking and scoping or I will leave." Jasina refused to tell Randy about her past, but also wasn't about to put herself in a dangerous situation.

She watched Randy's eyes widen slightly and stepped out of the car, breathing in and out slowly because she was incredibly nervous to even step a toe in this bar. Randy walked around to meet her and took her hand, their fingers lacing together as they walked across the street. Jasina wasn't going to say a single word, simply observing and had a memory that absorbed information so she didn't need a notepad.

As soon as they headed inside, Jasina wanted to run in the opposite direction.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Randy quickly took inventory of the bar, squeezing Jasina's hand reassuringly before leading her towards the counter, ordering himself a bottle of Bud Light, which seemed to be a favorite here. He didn't order anything for her, not knowing if she was a drinker and figured she'd speak up if she wanted something. Turning so his back was to the bar, he sipped his beer -after paying for it- and let his eyes stray, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and keeping her close.

"Far left corner, that's him." He murmured softly to where only she could hear, taking a drink.

Jasina slowly moved her gaze to the corner and felt the chills instantly run through her body, trying not to look nervous. He was a complete scoundrel and looked like he hadn't showered in months, his beard hanging down to his chest and his head bald with a huge skull tattoo. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with tight black jeans, his beer belly hanging out. He currently had a woman up against the wall and she didn't look at all comfortable, even though she wore a silver mini dress with knee high matching boots, all of it glittering.

She was definitely a stripper.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's not only a witness but a suspect." Randy whispered in her ear, feeling her shiver of disgust and smiled, mainly so it looked like she wasn't shivering out of nervousness or being grossed out, instead desire. "But our job isn't to bust him, only investigate, get information, and write a story. If anything, we find can help the police solve this, then we turn it over anonymously." He wasn't about to be branded a vigilante.

"Damn son, that is one fine lookin' woman you got there."

Randy's eyes narrowed as he turned towards what he assumed to be a local, offering a lukewarm smile. "She sure is." He drawled, suddenly possessing a Texan accent like everyone else. "She's also shy 'round strangers, so why don't you stop starin' at her?"

"Now, now Timmy baby, no need to be rude." Jasina used her best country accent and hoped it passed.

Moving to stand in front of him, Jasina wrapped her arms around his strong neck. When Randy's arms wrapped around her waist and his hands slid down to grab her ass, Jasina didn't jump because she knew it was part of the job playing the part, and fiddled with the small hairs that were on the back of his head. Her accent was better than his, probably because she was a native while he was from across the country. Smiling, he kept hold of his beer and moved so they were walking away from the bar.

"C'mon sweetness, let's get a private seat." He said loudly, making himself heard over the commotion and walked her right past Landon, not missing the way Landon's eyes suddenly moved from his stripper to Jasina and ushered her into a seat away from the man. "You alright?" He asked quietly, wanting to make sure what he did wasn't out of line.

"I'm fine, promise." She quietly replied, her mouth right by his ear to make it seem like they were having a private moment at their table, nuzzling his neck a little with her nose. "He's coming this way." She whispered and continued pressing closer to Randy, feeling like every part of her body suddenly broke out in goose bumps when Landon approached their table, keeping her eyes on Randy's neck.

The sooner they got out of here, the better off she'd be.

"I don't know you." Landon said, sitting down at their table without waiting for an invitation, his eyes roaming over Jasina with open appreciation and lust before narrowing them at Randy, taking him in warily. "I know everyone who comes into my bar."

"We're not from around this way, we're just passin' through on the way to San Antonio."

"Such a shame...If you were locals, I'd offer your pretty lady a job. She'd bring in some damn nice tips."

'For a price...not fucking likely.' Randy thought, hoping Jasina knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. "Hear that baby, you got a job if we ever decide to move this way."

"That's great, baby." She giggled in a country girl sort of way, not moving an inch away from Randy's side and was thankful he hadn't removed his arm from around her.

So he owned the bar, that was definitely suspect material and Jasina wondered if the murdered teenager worked here. If she did, he would be arrested automatically for underage employment in a bar because of alcohol. She hoped Randy cottoned onto all of this and slowly looked over at Landon's way, smiling.

"So how long have ya'll been in business 'round here?"

"Long enough." Landon answered with a snort, looking around the bar. "Too damn long, place is dyin' down, we need some new blood around here." He eyed her again. "Got any friends who are hot as you are?"

The man was blunt and didn't sugarcoat, Randy would give him that and not an inch more.

"One of my regular girls went and got herself murdered, haven't found someone to replace her."

That was the opening she needed and Randy shook his head. "Hell no, if someone got murdered 'round here, why would she or anyone she knows want to work here?"

"Bad shit happens to dumb sluts who don't mind their business." Landon stated coldly, no emotion in his voice. "Your woman isn't a dumb slut, is she?"

"No." Randy couldn't keep the bite of steel out of his tone.

He definitely murdered that poor girl, Jasina was almost one hundred percent sure, but didn't dare say a word as she just leaned against Randy with a phony smile on her face. They weren't there to mind their own business and Jasina hoped Randy got all the information he needed because she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being in this place with a murderer. Being a drug addict, Jasina learned quickly her emotions couldn't be shown, especially when it came to covering her ass.

'Please Randy hurry the hell up!' She thought somewhat frantically, but didn't show how scared she was, acting as if what Landon was saying hadn't made her stomach do a flip-flop.

"Bitch who doesn't mind her business deserves whatever she gets, nothin' like a nosy broad to ruin a good time." Randy said with a laugh, gesturing for another beer.

"On the house, for sayin' what every man here already thinks and every woman needs to hear." Landon grinned, adjusting his stomach and looking at Jasina, smirking broadly. "I like a woman who knows her place, shows she's properly trained."

Whether this guy was the murderer or not, Randy already knew he had a hand in the death somehow. He had a misogynist attitude towards women and hinted at violent tendencies. Quite frankly, he was just plain getting on Randy's nerves.

"She knows her place." Randy was going to get hit for that comment later.

"Good thing too, women round here learn damn quick or they wind up missin'."

When Landon leered like that, Randy could see missing and black teeth. He was ready to leave, whether this was the murderer or not, they still had a very interesting story to go on. As much as Jasina wanted to smack him for that last comment, she knew it was all for show and Randy didn't treat women like they were property. Jasina had to fight back shivering with dread when Landon stated that women around this place either learned their place or wound up missing.

That meant he more than likely murdered more women other than the teenager. When Randy told her it was time to leave, Jasina breathed a huge sigh of relief and stayed beside Randy, looping her arm through his while Randy reluctantly shook Landon's hand, thanking him for a great time. Jasina felt ill because she could feel Landon's eyes on her ass the whole walk out of the bar, the door closing roughly behind them.

The minute they were in the truck and away from the bar at what Randy deemed a safe distance, he pulled over in order to do a full body shudder, one of disgust and anger. "Give me a moment, Jasina." He grunted when she looked at him, knowing she probably needed a moment as well.

That had not been pleasant. It never was in those types of places, surrounded by those types of people and it always pissed him off, knowing people like that existed. When he was calm enough, he turned to face her, reaching out to gently take her hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, hoping he hadn't scared her out of this job.

Blinking, huge tears slid out of Jasina's eyes down her face as she shook her head, lowering her head and buried her face in her hands, shuddering from head to toe. She suddenly took Kleenex's out of her purse that she'd left in the truck and began wiping the makeup from her entire face, mostly her eyes, refusing to look at Randy while she cried. When they pulled up to Randy's car, Jasina hopped out and took her Stilettos off as soon as she was inside of it, lowering her eyes to her lap.

"I'm sorry." She finally whispered, dabbing her eyes as a few more tears fell. "I can handle this, but those types of places bring back some memories for me that I don't wish to ever relive. I hope you understand and I won't blame you if you want another partner for this job."

He understood completely, knowing a bit more about Jasina than he would ever admit; he didn't do investigative reporting because he was lousy at it after all. "I don't want another partner, Jasina, I like you as my partner. And that place was trash, Landon was even worse. I don't blame you for being upset." He reassured her, reaching across her to get in the glove box and pulled out a box of hand sanitizer wipes, handing them to her.

"Thanks."

If Jasina ever found out that Randy knew her past history, she would quit working with him on the spot just on principal. Nobody at the newspaper knew about Jasina's past and she wanted to keep it that way, making Trish swear she would never utter a word about it. Trish did it without any problems because it wasn't her business or place to talk about something as awful and tragic as Jasina's past.

"Are we done with the investigating part? Because I know he had something to do with her murder and I think we should send the police what we found out anonymously like you explained to me. There's too much evidence against him and..." Jasina forward and pulled something out her bra, which was a very small recording device, smirking as Randy's eyes widened. "I recorded the entire conversation, pretty good eh?"

His eyes were wide because she had pulled it out of her cleavage, though he would never tell HER that. He shifted in his seat and procured his cell phone, opening it to reveal the case was hollowed out, inside a mini recorder resting. "Great minds think alike." He chuckled before sobering. "This isn't enough for them to bring him in for the murder, but it is enough to have him brought in as a suspect and probably even maintain warrants to search his bar, residence and vehicle. I'll mail them to the station."

"Sounds good."

Jasina knew they could never step foot in the bar again after sending those recordings in, having a feeling Landon would automatically assume they did it. He didn't look as stupid as he sounded, especially since he'd probably murdered a lot of women who didn't bend to his rules. Randy pulled out of the parking garage, leaving the beat up truck there, which he bought out of a local car shop that sold beat up vehicles for a couple hundred bucks. Randy had no idea the car shop belonged to Jasina's current boyfriend, Mark Calaway.

"Do you want me to drive you home or are you going to be alright?" He asked as he pulled onto the highway that would take them to their road for the office, wondering if she was even able to drive.

Today/tonight had definitely shaken her up and he idly mused on what her boyfriend would have to say when he seen her. He was also going to have to sell that beater or scrap it and go buy a new one. Randy never kept the same car after using it for a job and as he had no intention of repeating this particular excursion, he wasn't keeping the car.

"I'll be fine. I'm gonna change the office before heading home."

It was going on six o'clock, where the hell had the day gone?

Jasina knew Mark probably wasn't going to be happy that she was getting home so late from work, but it came with the territory. Her job meant everything to her, but so did her family. And the last thing Jasina needed to do was walk through the front door of their home looking like a trashy hooker. She would make sure she looked exactly as she left that morning, only more tired, refusing to tell Mark about her little escapades with Randy.

It was simply not his business.

She looked beat and it was only six, Randy could not imagine being tired at this hour. He was revved and ready to go. Though while they idled in traffic -rush hour for people coming off of work-, he peeled off the tank top and threw it in the backseat, wrinkling his nose as he relaxed back in his seat, his abdominal muscles rippling with the movement. Somehow, beer had gotten spilled on the top and he couldn't stand the scent of beer lingering on his clothes, especially mixed with all the other 'lovely' scents from that hellhole.

"I'll start typing up my notes for you." All his notes were in his head, where they did her absolutely no good.

"Sounds good and whatever you don't have, I do."

She gently tapped her temple with a sad smile, both of them nodding simultaneously as if reading the other's mind. They definitely made a great pairing in the field, Jasina couldn't deny Trish's brilliance. She had this knack for tagging people together who didn't seem like they would gel as a team, but ended up doing so. They arrived back at the office about an hour later, thanks to rush hour traffic refusing to be kind, and Jasina walked inside with Randy to change out of her hooker clothes, laughing at something he said. Even though he was great at what he did and serious ninety-nine percent of the time, Randy did have a dry sense of humor that Jasina appreciated.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Here, hold on." Randy stopped her outside her office door, laughing as she pushed it open anyway and grabbed the back of her shirt to stop her. "Stay put, you have shit from that booth all over your back." He began using his dirty, still off his back tank top -he had brought it inside to throw it away-, to wipe the grime off her top. Blue eyes narrowing, Randy bent down and seriously wished for better light. "The booth was brown, right?" At her nod, he frowned. "Jasina, I've already touched the back so...could you help me get this off of you without you having to touch it? I think this is blood…"

"WHAT?!" Jasina visibly paled and swallowed hard, not daring to turn to look at Randy, trembling a little.

She had blood on her?

There was blood in the booth at that nasty bar?

"Jesus...Randy, it's on my body so therefore I'm touching it right now." She pointed out through gritted teeth, fresh tears forming in her eyes while he grabbed a pair of scissors to cut it off her body. Jasina honestly didn't care and stepped away as soon as it was fully off, holding her hands over her now bare breasts, keeping her back to him. "Is there blood on my skin?" When he muttered yes, Jasina knew she couldn't go home with blood anywhere on her body, feeling like vomiting. "I can't go home like this...Can you get me a towel or something to cover up with until I figure this out?"

"Come on, let's go to the bathrooms and we'll use the sink to clean you up." Randy suggested, having meant fingerprints since her back touching the inside of the top was a little obvious and unable to be helped. When she stiffly nodded, he led the way, making sure to keep his eyes anywhere except where her hands were, having set the top down on the secretary's desk with the blood side up so it wasn't disturbed any further. "If you turn...I'll wash your back." He offered, already drawing water into the sink and pulling towels out of the dispenser.

Jasina didn't say a word and simply nodded, Randy shutting the door behind them in case someone else walked in, locking it. Turning around, while Randy grabbed some nearby paper towels, Jasina closed her eyes as he began wiping the blood off of her middle back and upper shoulders, not believing there was actual blood on her. What the hell did Landon just murder women in his bar and leave their blood behind for customers to sit in?

"Oh god..."

She gripped the sink with her hands, not caring if her breasts were exposed and didn't dare look up in the reflection because Randy would be staring back at her. Randy was focusing on cleaning the soap from her back and then drying it, aware of her current position and too much of a gentleman to take advantage or sneak a peek. This was no time to go 'male' on her. When her shoulders quaked, he worried she was crying and automatically turned her around hugging her close, not even thinking about her semi-nude state.

"We will NEVER do something like that again, Jasina." He promised, meaning 'we' as in her and him; he wasn't promising he wouldn't do anything solo.

The amount of comfort and warmth that radiated from Randy was exactly what Jasina needed at that moment, squeezing him as hard as she could. Tears poured from her eyes and Jasina didn't even notice their bare chests were pressed together, burying her face in his while he stroked her now clean back gently. When Jasina pulled back, Randy cupped her face in his strong hands to wipe her tears away, her eyes lowering away from him because Jasina was ashamed for breaking down twice in one day.

"I-I didn't mind doing it...even though it was hard, but...there was blood on the booth in front of all those people..." She had to pull away from him and turned around to splash some water on her face, needing to calm down. "I don't want any limitations with our partnership; the blood was just a little too much, but I'll get used to it if we have to do this again."

"We have to set boundaries, Jasina." Randy said firmly, averting his eyes again, moment over. "Otherwise the day will come when we overstep them and-" He jumped when someone banged on the bathroom door. "Janitor." He breathed after a moment, jumping when there was another bang. " Impatient son of a bitch..." He walked over to unlock the door, glancing back to make sure she was covered and opened it, not much though, not about to reveal her to anyone. "Oh...hi..."

"Hi." Mark gruffly replied. "Where is she?"

Jasina had darted behind the door and covered her mouth with her hand when she heard Mark's voice, not believing he was here. Had he lost his mind? He had no right being here checking up on her, especially when she texted him saying she was working late. She did the cut throat motion to Randy, hoping he didn't expose her, especially when she was completely topless with trashy jeans and bare feet. With Randy bare from the waist up, this definitely was an awkward moment and Mark would be the one accusing her of cheating, even though Jasina would never.

"She went up a floor to use their fax machine since ours is out." Randy said, lying through his teeth, but no one would ever know.

He sounded so sincere and honest, it was hard for anyone, even Mark, not to trust him. Helping his lie was the fact that he had mixed some truth in there as well. This was a skyscraper with multiple businesses and offices, their fax machine was down until tomorrow while the new system was implemented.

Mark's eyes narrowed skeptically as he took Randy in, finally just nodding. "She said she was workin' late tonight, I figured she'd skip supper since she does when she's busy with work." He held up a bag from Jasina's favorite restaurant.

"If you want to wait for her, you can, but I have to finish washing up." Randy suggested evenly. "I skipped the shower after a gym session."

Randy smiled apologetically before shutting the door and relocking it. Jasina let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as Randy shut the door, leaning her head against the wall taking a few deep breaths. Mark wasn't allowed upstairs; it was an employee only section, so Jasina wasn't worried.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, glancing down at the bag and felt her chest tighten a little, not believing how sweet her boyfriend was to actually bring her something to eat. Her time with Randy ended as soon as Jasina dressed in her baby doll and black leggings with the flats, tossing her trashy clothes away besides the top, leaving that with Randy. "I'll see you tomorrow, Randy." Jasina kissed his cheek after locking up the office and both parted ways.

Jasina immediately headed home to her family with the bag of food.

"Where's Dad?" Arielle asked when Jasina walked into the ranch, dragging herself off the couch and inhaled. "Mmm, you got the food, but you don't got him." She frowned, scratching the top of her head. "Or is he comin' 'cause I know he took his motorcycle, so you didn't ride together."

She glanced at the clock, doing the mental math on how long Dad had been gone. He had said something about taking Mom some supper since she would probably forget about it. Since Mom was home, Arielle assumed her Dad would be too.

"Dad isn't home yet?" Jasina bit her bottom lip and walked into the kitchen, setting the bag down on the table, rubbing her temples a little. "Dad stopped by the newspaper office to bring me food because I was working late tonight. Randy actually gave me the bag of food after I came back downstairs from doing my job." She hated lying to her daughter and felt horrible about it, but under any circumstances could Arielle ever find out about where she was at earlier that day or what happened. "He'll be here shortly, did you get your homework done?"

"Duh, Mom, had it done way earlier." Arie replied, rolling her eyes. As if she hadn't learned by now to get it done and out of the way? She was an A-plus student for a reason. "So what were you workin' on that kept you there late? Investigatin' with Randy Orton?" Who she had yet to meet, though since her Mom had said he was 'nice looking', she figured he was either A) a dog and Mom was being polite or B) totally gorgeous and Mom didn't want to hurt Dad's feelings.

"Yeah, trying to get the hang of things with this new job I have."

Jasina pulled the food out of the bag and walked over to get some plates with silverware, a little concerned that Mark hadn't made it home before her after dropping the food off. She grabbed a wine glass, desperately needing some wine after the day and investigation from hell. She set the glass down on the table, after filling the glass to nearly the brim, and piled some food on her plate, even though she really wasn't hungry.

How could anyone have an appetite after having blood on her back and shoulder blades?

"Mom, you're lookin' kinda peaky all of a sudden." Arielle commented, having followed Jasina into the kitchen, studying her curiously. "You're turnin' green, is everything okay? Are you pregnant?"

"Who's pregnant?"

"Mom looks like she's about to puke, she's green. Isn't that a sign of pregnancy?"

"WHAT?"

"Dear god, no!" Jasina gaped at her daughter, not believing she actually asked that question and saw how pale Mark suddenly went. "If I even thought I was pregnant, do you think I'd be drinking THIS?" She held up her glass of wine and shook it a little, having downed half of it without any food in her system. "Work was very stressful and I'm trying to wind down." She completely ignored the peaky comment from Arielle, hoping Mark got the color back in his cheeks. "I'm not pregnant, I promise."

"Then why are you peaky?"

Mark arched an eyebrow at Jasina, going to get himself a beer from the fridge, needing it to settle his now racing heart. Another baby at his age? That had nearly scared him to death, which he would never admit to anyone, ever.

"How was work?" He managed to ask without sounding weak, giving himself credit.

"Peaky apparently."

Mark almost snorted his beer.

"Enough!" Jasina growled, teal eyes flashing at her daughter angrily, wanting her to knock her smartass remarks for one night. It wasn't the time or place and she refused to talk about her work when all she wanted to do was forget about it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going upstairs to take a hot bath with wine, do not disturb me."

Jasina stormed down the hallway and up the stairs, just needing to be alone right now, missing her apartment. Mark and Arielle exchanged looks, both of them smart enough to NOT follow since she clearly needed some alone time. Sighing, Mark sat down at the table with his beer, grunting when Arielle set a second one before him and then another down on the table, sitting herself before it.

"Is she going through menopause? She's at that age, isn't she? Or near it."

Arielle cracked the beer and took a slow sip. While her Dad was pretty harsh about her expressing interest in boys, every now and again, he let her have a beer. To her, that said he had his priorities a little skewed or figured beer couldn't knock her up.

"Dare you to go ask her that." He rumbled, his mind not really on their little chat so much as Jasina and what the hell happened at work.

"Sure, let me go write my suicide note."

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GODDAMN MIND, MARK WILLIAM CALAWAY?" Jasina exploded from behind both of them, having came back downstairs to grab her phone in case Trish or anyone called her, staring at her boyfriend and daughter like they'd both lost their minds. "Give this to me RIGHT NOW! What the fuck are you thinking letting her drink underage?! Arielle, up to your room NOW!" Jasina dumped the whole can of beer down the sink, shaking her head in pure disgust. She didn't care if Mark had raised Arielle since she was a baby.

Underage drinking was NOT right parenting.

"Mom, chill, it's not like I pop a top every other night. Just one about every six months or so."

Mark was staring at Jasina like she had lost her own mind, motioning for Arielle to remain where she was when she looked at him questioningly. "You look like you're feelin' a helluva lot better." He commented calmly, draining the last of his first beer and crushing the can in his fist.

Arielle stayed in her seat only this time around, she was smart enough to know that her mouth wasn't going to be doing anyone any favors here.

"So you honestly think letting our daughter drink underage is ACCEPTABLE?" What the hell was going on around here? Jasina never thought in a million years Mark would actually condone this, holding her hand up before Mark could utter a word. "So let me get this straight: You allow her to drink underage, which is ILLEGAL, no matter if it's just ONE beer, yet she can't date until she's thirty? Seriously? You are a hypocritical asshole. This is even worse than the time the kids kidnapped us and drugged me with sex enhancement pills, don't you realize that?" Jasina was absolutely floored and felt like her head was going to explode, not believing what a hellacious day and now night she was having. "Well let me just say this: When Arielle ends up taking the drinking too far, no matter how little she does it, you will have nobody to blame but yourself. Just remember that, father of the year." Snorting, Jasina grabbed her purse and phone before walking out of the kitchen, feeling absolutely aghast and wondered if moving in was such a good idea after all, tears in her eyes.

Getting up quickly, he trailed after Jasina, stopping her before she could even reach the door. "Arielle is not you, Jas, is that what you worry about? That one beer every now and again is going to turn her into an alcoholic?" He demanded, not screaming, yelling or even raising his voice. He was speaking calmly and evenly, but there was steel in his tone. "Because it's not. I'd rather her sit there in front of me and drink the occasional beer than be over at Toni's or somewhere else doin' a bender. So are you rippin' my head off because of a fuckin' beer or because you had a fucked up day at work? Because you haven't been right since you got home apparently."

"Get your hand off of me right now." Jasina ordered through gritted teeth, blinking as tears slid down her cheeks. "This has nothing to do with my past, yet you always seem to want to bring that up. When is this going to change, Mark? When are YOU going to change?" She couldn't believe Mark actually allowed Arielle to drink beer, alcohol, and was bringing up her past. "This has nothing to do with my job and you letting her drink openly in front of you will make her think she can drink openly anywhere. But I'm stupid, I don't know anything about parenting because you obviously are the perfect Daddy. So go ahead Mark, let her drink beer. I'm leaving to go to Trish's because I can't even look at you right now without wanting to physically be sick. Just get away from me."

It was a good thing Jasina grabbed her purse because her car keys were in there, needing to get out of the house immediately. He still wasn't letting her go, wondering why she wasn't seeing the obvious and making such a big damn deal out of something so small. Or if she thought it was such a big deal, why she would just explode opposed to being calm and rational, which is what he was doing? The switch-up was a bit confusing.

"Arielle is a helluva lot smarter than you're giving her credit for, Jasina. She knows better than to even think about drinkin' anywhere outside this house while she's underage. She's a good kid and, before you even think about sayin' 'that's not what I'm sayin'', it IS what you're sayin'. She's damn near seventeen, is more responsible usually than the two of us are put together, so what the hell is your damage other than the drinking?"

"I don't have any damage and you're obviously not listening to me, so there's really no reason to discuss this further. I know Arielle is a smart young woman and I trust her completely, but letting her drink underage is not only irresponsible, but also bad parenting. And that's all I'm saying on the subject."

Jasina was done with the conversation and went to walk around Mark, gritting her teeth when he stopped her by grabbing her arm. Without thinking about it, Jasina hauled off and slapped the taste out of his mouth, the smack echoing throughout the house. Stumbling back from him near the front door, Jasina was shocked she actually did it.

"I told you not to touch me, asshole and I meant it."

Before Mark could recover, Jasina was out the door, slamming it shut behind her so hard, the walls actually shook a little. Arielle had heard the slap and crept out into the living room, emerald eyes widening when she seen her Dad just standing there, staring at the door, his green eyes wider than she could ever recall seeing them and an angry red mark standing out on his otherwise pale cheek. Deciding now would be a good time to make herself scarce, she headed upstairs, making it to the landing before hearing a very loud, angry roar.

"SON OF A BITCH!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The entire ride to Trish's, Jasina cried her eyes out from everything that happened that day, trying not to crash her car. She managed to make it to Trish and Steve's, hating that she was intruding, but she desperately needed to talk to her best friend. Stepping out of the car, Jasina headed to the front door and barely got her hand up to knock on the door when Trish opened it, her brown eyes full of worry. Jasina couldn't even say anything and completely broke down in front of Trish, being guided inside with Trish ordering Steve to get Jasina some water.

They sat down on the couch and all Jasina could do was cry for the first twenty minutes or so, trying to calm down. Steve had gotten Jasina her water, Trish instructed him to put a kettle on so she could make some tea and then excuse himself while they had a chat, also making it very clear he was NOT to call Mark. Mark probably knew where Jasina was, but he didn't need Steve's confirmation or encouraging Steve to spy. Once they were alone and settled, she sympathetically passed over a box of tissue.

"What happened, honey?" Trish asked softly, ignoring the baby kicking her.

"Mark actually allows Arielle to drink beer." Jasina somewhat blurted out, leaning back against the couch as she blew her nose before wiping the tears away. "I had a really bad day at work with Randy and I'm not even getting into that because I never want to remember it besides writing the damn article. But I went upstairs and realized I forgot my phone, so I go back downstairs and Arielle is sitting at the kitchen table with her father drinking a fucking beer. He lets her drink underage, but he won't let her date. I don't understand him and I completely lost my cool. I exploded actually...and then I slapped Mark..."

She lowered her eyes when Trish's jaw dropped, shame suddenly flooding her body. Trish didn't offer any opinion on the underage drinking because that wasn't what had her attention. She could recall sharing a glass of cheap wine or two with her mother on occasion when she was a teenager. What really had gotten her attention was the fact that Jasina had actually slapped Mark and her shock showed in her wide brown eyes.

"Did he lay his hands on you?" She demanded, wanting to make sure she understood everything completely. "Or...just piss you off royally?"

"I told him not to touch me and he did it anyway. He grabbed my arm..." She pointed at her arm, which was already bruising because of how hard Mark had grabbed her, knowing he didn't mean to do it and forgot how strong he was at times, especially in the bedroom. "He doesn't think its wrong for Arielle to drink beer and I do, we clashed and I was already pissed off because of just how my day went." She really didn't want to talk about the investigation, ripping apart the tissue. "I think moving in with him might've been a mistake..."

Trish considered that. Jasina and Mark had been stuck in the dating phase for four years, moving in was logically the next step. "I think honey, you two are having a clash on parenting that might have gotten blown out of proportion because one, he's used to doing things his way and doesn't appreciate being corrected and two, you had a really shitty day." She said finally, stopping Jasina from shredding the tissue any further, squeezing her hand gently. "Do you regret moving in with him?"

"I don't know." That was the truth and Jasina couldn't deny it, sniffling as more tears fell from her eyes, not able to stop them. "I love him, I really do, but I also know that he thinks he's the superior parent because I made a mistake all those years ago. I'm sick of him throwing that in my face. He needs to get over it and move on or we need to go our separate ways. He actually asked me if I was afraid if Arielle would turn out like me." It hurt more than anything and it made Jasina feel even lower than what she already did prior to going home. "Moving in might've been too fast because we don't really know each other as far as living styles go. I would go there mostly at night, have sex with him and then go to work the next morning. I didn't see him with Arielle like I do now and I don't like it. I am against anything illegal and it's not going to change, just like he's not going to change."

"Well Arie is a good kid, Jas. She gets good grades; she doesn't get into trouble...anymore." Trish smiled wryly, remembering when Arielle, Toni, and some boy they had gone to school with had locked Mark and Jasina up in a room together for nearly a whole weekend. "So something is going right for her with her parents. Emphasis on the plural. You two just have to figure out how to not step on each other's toes and cut out the things that aren't working." She suggested softly, an example being the drinking. "I think you also may need to stay away from Mark a bit longer, just to sort yourself out again and figure out what you really want."

"Maybe moving out would be the best thing to do." She was glad she kept her apartment and sighed heavily, knowing slapping Mark was completely uncalled for. Jasina had no idea what to do and leaned against Trish for support, rubbing her belly while Trish ran her fingers through her hair, both of them just trying to calm down from their talk. "I think maybe I should move back into my apartment until we can figure out if we can even live together and deal with our clashing. I think I'm a pretty damn good Mom, even though I made that mistake and left all those years ago. I love both of them, but I refuse to be with someone who won't compromise with me, who is stubborn, bullheaded and refuses to see other people's logic."

Trish managed to hide her smile because that sounded a lot like Mark and a bit like Jasina. Two stubborn people, who were both excellent parents, but also clashed and were bullheaded. "You can stay here tonight and tomorrow we'll open up your apartment again. It's still livable; I had a maid go in once a week to dust." Always be prepared, which in this case was a bit depressing, but she was glad she had done it. "You can take tomorrow off if you need too Jas. It sounds like you had a very, very bad day and need to recuperate."

"No, Randy is depending on me to be there to go over our notes and the investigation we did. I will be there." Honestly, Jasina needed a distraction and knew working would be perfect. "I'll leave work early tomorrow while Mark and Arielle are at work and school to get my things." It was mostly clothes, jewelry, shoes, and makeup, glad she'd left the furniture behind at her apartment. "He's going to think we're over after the fight, but honestly I just need some space and I already felt in my gut it was very rushed. I don't even know what to say to him right now."

"I wouldn't say anything right now. You both need time to simmer down and, if he's smart, he'll give you that time or I'll have to have Steve castrate him on your behalf." Trish groaned when she heard the kettle whistling, pushing herself off the couch. "Knew I forgot something...Do you want something else to drink? Or eat? You're looking pale, Jasina." She was genuinely worried for her friend. These past few months just hadn't been going that smoothly for Jasina and this was the last thing she needed, especially with Arie's birthday coming up rapidly.

"Maybe some toast or something small. I can make it."

She began standing up when Trish shoved her down on the couch, cracking a small smile when Trish ordered her to stay put. Jasina couldn't help not feeling well because of all the stress in her life between her relationship with Mark, her new job with Randy and Arielle's impending birthday. It was mostly her relationship with Mark that was stressing her out though and Jasina wasn't sure how much more she could handle. Silent tears slid down her cheeks while Trish brought her some tea, taking it from her as she slowly sipped it, feeling completely drained and exhausted.

"After toast, you need to go to bed. The guest room is all ready because you are not sleeping on my couch, it's getting lumpy. If you're not looking any better in the morning, I might insist you stay home. You really do look like you're getting sick, Jasina." Trish frowned, her forehead wrinkling as she stared down at her best friend. "Did something else happen today? Did the investigation go well? Randy called to say you guys found some stuff out, but...he was in a hurry to get off the phone so I didn't get any details."

Jasina opened and closed her mouth, but she couldn't complain about her job, knowing that wasn't smart to do with Trish. "I'm sorry, I can't Trish." She whispered, standing up from the couch and set her cup down on the table, heading into the guest room wanting to be alone.

Today really knocked her for a loop and Jasina was having a hard time dealing with it, hoping she would be alright writing the article. Closing the door behind her, Jasina shed her clothes and decided to take that hot bath, thankful she had her own bathroom, immediately heading in that direction. Until she scrubbed her body raw, she wasn't getting any sleep that night, trying to push everything else out of her mind.

Leaving Jasina alone, Trish retired to her own bedroom where she promptly informed Steve that whatever happened, or was said in their house, STAYED in their house and wasn't to be repeated or talked about anywhere else, namely at the garage where he worked with Mark. Of course she understood that wasn't a good position for her to put Steve in since he was Mark's best friend, but Jasina was HER best friend, not Mark. So she tried to keep Steve out of it on the understanding he kept HIMSELF out of it, if not, she knew what side she was on.

Even if she hadn't said anything, Steve was staying out of this one.

Against her better judgment, Jasina walked inside the office the following day with a cup of the strongest coffee she could find in Houston, black shades over her eyes. She wore black dress pants with a long sleeved black shirt with a white tank top underneath, the sleeves flowing. Thin black eyeliner outlined her teal eyes and clear gloss painted her lips, Jasina was not putting a lot of effort into her look for the day.

She just didn't care after everything that happened over the last couple of weeks. Heading straight to her office, Jasina decided to work on her article along with the 'Ask Jade' column. Jasina was not in the mood to work on the murder investigation right now and Randy wasn't in the office yet, so she had ample time to do her other jobs first that were important to her.

Randy showed up half past noon and was in a very cheerful mood. Informal as usual, he wore form fitting blue jeans and a blue button up shirt that he hadn't bothered buttoning for the top three buttons. He greeted everyone he passed on his way to Jasina's office, knocking once before actually walking in.

"Look at this." He dropped the day's newspaper down in front of her. "It JUST made the printing." Randy had it folded open to page two, where it mentioned Landon being hauled in for questioning involving several unsolved murders. "All the girls were young, just out of school, same as the girl found near his bar. I sent in your shirt, to a friend in the forensics lab, so we're going to be kept out of it, but...they'll find enough to charge him officially, providing they don't nail him on something else." His pleased smile faded when Randy noticed how his partner looked, frowning. "I'm sorry; I should have waited until you agreed for me to come in...Are you…alright?"

"I'm fine..." Jasina snatched the paper and read over the article, wondering how the hell it was printed so quickly. "That's just fucking great. Someone else took our hard work..."

Jasina was pissed beyond belief and shoved the newspaper in the trashcan. Happy that Landon had gotten caught and was being sent up the river more than likely, but NOT happy it wasn't their newspaper that had printed the information. Their investigative work was for nothing and Jasina wasn't sure if she could handle this partnership, especially after being traumatized the previous night.

"Looks like we're back to square one. Trish is not going to be happy about that."

"What are you talking about? The article mentions he was picked up, not much else; we still have an article. We just need to get it done and out ASAP. I typed up notes from the conversation last night. There are also notes on the bar itself, how it looked, smelled, the people in it..." He trailed off, shrugging. "I have note issues; I notice everything, probably a good thing for the photography bit." He had also noticed her lack of normal make-up, her outfit, and the fact that she looked like she had tried combating the fact she didn't sleep well, which was noticeable.

"You think it's wise to still do the article revolving around the investigation regarding him?" When Randy nodded, Jasina shrugged and took the notes she handed him, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry that I kind of jumped to conclusions, Randy. I got into a fight with Mark last night and..." She waved it off, not knowing why she actually indulged him in her personal problems, beginning to look over the notes and added anything Randy missed, which wasn't much. "What photographs do you have for the article?"

"I have photos of the murder scene, photos of Landon, don't ask how I got those, pictures of the bar I went back last night to take...and I scrounged up pictures of most of the other victims." Randy had his ever-present duffel bag and brief case with him, two items he always brought into work, pulling a folder out of the briefcase and handed it to her. "I'm sorry to hear you and Mark got into a fight." He added quietly. "It wasn't about being out late working, I hope."

"No, nothing to do with that."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Jasina took the folder and looked over the gruesome photos, wondering how the hell he got these. She wasn't going to ask him, they made her stomach twist violently and had ruined Jasina's appetite. Everything about this ruined any desire for her to eat and Jasina couldn't wait to be done with this article, beginning to type out an outline for Randy to read while he pulled his own laptop out, both of them working in silence.

Randy had no problem with the photos. He always had a problem with the environment he was in to get them, but not the actual photos themselves, he had seen way too much. Some people thought this made him cold when in his view, it made his line of work much easier and he still slept most nights.

He only stopped typing long enough to venture to the vending machine for a bottle of water, knowing today was not a day for talking and couldn't help wondering what was going on with her. Even though, it was none of his business. By the time he looked up again, it was past time to call it a day and his stomach rudely informed him that he had neglected lunch.

"Sorry." Randy apologized with a boyish grin when Jasina looked at him, obviously startled.

"It's okay." She glanced at the clock and blinked. "It's after five already?" Jasina watched Randy nod and heard her own stomach rumble, jumping since she wasn't expecting it and blushed a little when Randy smirked at her. "Shut up." She mumbled when he began laughing, wanting to chuck something at him and decided on a pad of post its, rolling her eyes when he simply caught it. "Alright, since our stomachs are both telling us to eat, how about we call it a night?"

"Sounds good to me, I can finish up this article afterwards and have it ready to go by morning." Randy shut down his laptop before stuffing it into his bag. Standing up, he stretched his arms over his head and brushed his fingertips against the ceiling, letting out a sigh when his back popped. "Much better. Jasina, you've lived here longer than me, what's a good place for a sit-down meal? I have yet to do any form of grocery shopping outside of pop tarts, cereal, and milk and I think fast food is killing me." He smiled at her, hearing her stomach rumbling again. "How about you tell me a nice place and I'll buy you dinner? Since we're both apparently starving."

"I think I know the perfect place actually and I'll go if I can pay for myself."

There was no way Jasina could let Randy buy her dinner, not when they hadn't known each other that long and not when she was still in a relationship with Mark. Randy was gorgeous from head to toe, but there was something about him that didn't settle well with Jasina. She wasn't sure what it was, but Jasina learned long ago never to ignore gut instincts. Working with him was one thing, but outside of the office Jasina really just wanted to keep it professional between them.

Shrugging, Randy nonverbally let her know he didn't have a problem with that. Women were independent and some of them preferred paying their own way, he wasn't about to disrespect them by saying no. On a date however, if he was the one who had done the inviting, totally different ballgame.

A meal between colleagues, not so much.

"Sounds good to me, so what's the place?"

"Gravitas."

She grinned, deciding having one of their margaritas was definitely on the agenda and packed up her things, sending Trish a quick text letting her know she would be home late. She was staying with Trish until the weekend rolled around and then moving her things back into her apartment. She loved Mark, but moving in with him was too fast and Jasina should've listened to what her heart and mind were screaming at her.

They walked out of the office and locked up before going to their separate vehicles. Randy agreed to follow her since Jasina knew Houston like the back of her hand. Still a bit curious, Randy mulled over what could have happened to put her in such a down mood. Though she did seem to have regained some of her cheeriness, that or she was really good at pretending.

He didn't know her quite well enough to determine if she was faking or not. Some people could fake being sad, some could fake being happy. Generally he was pretty quick at figuring it out, but given her mood today, he hadn't bothered with a case study, instead focusing on work. He followed her to the restaurant, parking a few spaces away and did a quick once over in his mirror before getting out to meet her. They were seated in a booth and Jasina instantly ordered a mango pineapple margarita, smiling at Randy when he raised an eyebrow.

"I need a drink after the last couple of days I've had."

That was her only explanation. Jasina ended up ordering a steak dinner to soak the alcohol up, not stupid enough to drive to Trish's drunk. One drink wasn't going to kill her and Jasina felt like treating herself, making herself comfortable while Randy decided to order the fajita meal with a beer.

"Thank you for inviting me out tonight, sorry I was such a bear today."

"Hey, I was starving and desperate for something that I wouldn't be pulling out of a grease-soaked bag, you're doing me the favor here, Jasina." Randy said with a good-natured smile, ducking his head when a woman from the next booth turned around to eyeball him, coughing when she actually sent a wink his way.

Awkward, especially since he wasn't currently looking for a fling, one night stand, or a girlfriend, not actively at least and never with a co-worker around. That was just wrong somehow. Jasina noticed the blush that crept into Randy's cheeks and slowly turned her head, seeing a bleach blonde eyeballing her co-worker with definite interest and something else in her eyes.

"She likes you."

Jasina smirked when she turned back to face Randy, sipping her margarita, suddenly missing Mark and wanting to be in his arms. Maybe she was jumping the gun a little bit or maybe she just needed to be screwed by her boyfriend. Either way, Jasina decided she was going to pay Mark a special visit tonight after Arielle was in bed.

"You should ask for her number, have a little fun you know?" She stated suggestively. "Otherwise I'm going to assume you're a workaholic, my friend."

"I AM a workaholic." Randy shot back with a grin, trying not to make eye contact with the bleach blonde.

Her hair was obviously a sham, she had layered on the mascara a bit too thick and Randy could actually see where it clumped on her lashes. He was a bit too observant at times and definitely wasn't interested in the fake woman, but wasn't about to be completely rude to her. Finally just settling for flashing a smile before looking away, Randy tried to convey a lack of interest and hoped she took the hint.

"Besides, what woman wants to date a guy like me? I move around too much."

"I would." Jasina wasn't sure what made her say something like that, but she felt terrible and make him feel better somehow. "If I wasn't dating someone that is and we didn't work together." She definitely didn't want to give him the wrong impression and make him think she was coming onto him because that wasn't the case at all. "Any woman who doesn't want to date a guy like you is out of her mind."

Their food was served and Jasina's stomach rumbled even more, starving by now.

Randy looked mildly surprised at that and looked down at his plate, eyeballing the fajitas. "Thank you, Jasina." He said softly, looking back up at her. "But you'd be out of your mind." He said it in a teasing voice, lightening the mood before it got too serious. "I travel around too much and go into way too many horrible places, you seem like a grounded women with a permanent place here. It's good that you have a stable man in your life." He cleared his throat, sipping his beer. "And now that we have gotten being personal out of the way..."

"I wouldn't exactly call Mark stable..." Jasina was halfway through her margarita, sighing heavily and wondered if she would need another one. "Nothing about my relationship and life is stable, so I wouldn't be out of my mind to date someone who traveled a lot. Believe it or not, I'm not as grounded as you think, Randy. I used to travel a lot, all through California, New Mexico, and Texas of course, but I haven't been in Houston my entire life. I recently came back about five years ago and...Sometimes I find myself missing the open road and new scenery."

Jasina didn't want to seem harsh when it came to Mark, but she also didn't want Randy thinking everything was wine and roses when it actually had turned into a nightmare lately. Not entirely sure what he was supposed to say about her boyfriend, Mark, being stable or rather not stable, Randy occupied himself for a moment with his food, chewing thoughtfully as he gestured for a refill on his beer. It took quite a bit to get him good and drunk, several for a proper buzz and he wasn't planning on drinking anything past two.

"You've gone abroad?" He asked after a moment, groaning when she shook her head. "You are missing out, Jasina! London, Paris, Rome...Prague, Dublin, Wales, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong...it's...an experience. Maybe eventually you can expand and do some out of country assignments."

"Maybe, that would fantastic. I've always wanted to go to Australia." Jasina smiled, the thought of actually going overseas to do articles for the newspaper, lifting her spirits tremendously.

With Arielle going to college and things on the rocks with Mark, getting out of Houston was sounding more promising by the second. Trish even had her own life going on with having another baby and getting married. Jasina knew she would never have that with Mark; he would never want to marry her again after what she did to him and she didn't blame him for it. At the same time though, she had to face facts and move on with her life, knowing there was someone out there who would want to marry her someday and trust her completely.

"Australia is beautiful." Randy said, nodding his head enthusiastically. "You can be in a city one day and out in the bush the next. The environment is...beautiful, but dangerous. It has a rugged feel to it, if that makes any sense to you; it sounded right in my head." He laughed at himself, arching an eyebrow when he realized he had cleaned his plate and pushed it aside, leaning back in his side of the booth and pulled his beer towards him. "You'd love Sydney."

"Yeah I know, I've looked at pictures online." Jasina openly admitted and finished off her own meal completely, which rarely happened, feeling extremely full and somewhat bloated. "That was incredible, thanks for inviting me out. Been awhile since I've done something like this." Mark always had home-cooked meals, hating to go out to restaurants, while Jasina wouldn't mind going out sometimes with Arielle or even just the two of them.

"Hi, can I get you anything else?" The waitress asked in somewhat of a rush, the place busy.

"Two separate checks please."

The waitress nodded and walked off.

"I don't think dessert would be wise after eating all that."

"Not right away no, but I have a strawberry cheesecake at home waiting on me. I did manage to find my way to a bakery." Randy chuckled, knowing he definitely wouldn't be having a slice until much later, maybe after a session with his at-home gym. A man did not look at fine or muscular like him without working for it. "And you're welcome, thank you for coming with me. I don't like eating alone, but like I've said, I don't really know anyone here outside of work and asking Trish to dinner would be...very unprofessional."

Not to mention, when he first met Trish's fiancé, the man had given Randy a look that clearly said if he so much as looked as her as anything more than a boss, he would die.

"Well anytime you want to eat out, just let me know and I'll go with you." Jasina offered, the buzz slowly going away now that dinner was soaking up the margarita, which she finished. "I'll be your going out buddy until you can find a woman. Hell, I'll help you find a date if you want."

It was the least she could do after all Randy had put up with from her and Randy was far too sweet and gorgeous not to have a woman on his arm. He had intense blue eyes, dark hair with sleeved tattoos and dressed nice. What woman wouldn't go after him unless they were already taken?

Randy considered her offer, before finally shaking his head.

"Thanks, but no. I'm too busy with work and getting settled in right now. I might take you up on it at a later time though."

He laid out the money for his check, along with a substantial tip. It was more out of habit than consideration of how efficient their server was. He had gotten into the habit of just tossing down money since different areas had different tipping ranges and other boring information he couldn't bother memorizing unless it was for work.

"Well, if you know of any women who are somewhat like you...I'd reconsider my dating status." He meant it to be a friendly compliment, though it came out sounding more like a pick-up line, a sincere one, but a pick-up line.

Her cheeks flushed slightly when he said that and Jasina had to admit it felt wonderful, standing up while staring in his blue eyes. "I'll let you know." She'd tossed money on the table as well, deciding to let the waitress keep the change, which was a little over ten dollars. "See you at work tomorrow, Randy. Thanks again." She leaned up to kiss his cheek and walked out of the restaurant, heading for Trish's to make a quick pit stop.

There would be no talking going on tonight with Mark.

Randy had always been aware that Jasina was a good looking woman, but he hadn't dwelled on it because they were coworkers. Instead, he had focused on her other traits: intelligence, ability to adapt to different scenarios outside her comfort zone, ability to think quickly on her feet…basically all traits he possessed. Now, she had kissed his cheek, gotten close enough where he could smell her very light, feminine perfume and in a setting that reminded him nothing of work, but instead lit his blood on fire. Groaning, he walked out of the restaurant as well, knowing he was going to have to quickly squash the feelings that had literally come out of nowhere.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Luckily, Trish and Steve weren't home.

Jasina remembered they had a date night, dropping Steve JR off at his grandparents. So Jasina took her time getting ready, slipping on a little number she'd purchased a few months ago, and wrapped herself in a long black long sleeved robe, tying it tightly. One thing about Mark Jasina knew very well was how to push his buttons and would literally force the aggression out of him.

Pulling up outside of the ranch a half an hour later, Jasina stepped out, walking up to the front door. She went to knock and then remembered the key, which she hadn't given back to him, unlocking the door stepping inside. It was dark, which is what Jasina wanted as she headed upstairs and saw the bedroom light on beneath Mark's bedroom door, running her fingertips down the wood.

Pushing it open with a deep breath, Jasina heard the shower running and stepped inside, removing her robe tossing it to the side. She was clad in a turquoise lace negligee that didn't leave much to the imagination with silk matching panties. Jasina walked toward the bathroom door, not believing how brave she was being and decided against joining him in the shower. Instead, Jasina crawled on the bed and turned around, leaning against the headboard while she waited for him to emerge.

Mark was in there for another twenty minutes, having just stepped in when she had let herself into the house and taking his time. Arielle was spending the night with Toni and he spent the day working on the SUV, came home to lie on his couch drinking beer and actually enjoying having the television to himself for once. The quietness -the lack of other people- was a bit...depressing, but at the same time it wasn't as bad as he expected.

Groaning softly, he stepped out of the shower and began drying himself off, the contrast of hot water to cold air causing goose bumps to speckle his skin. Mark made sure his hair had been wrung dry of excess water before tossing the towel onto the rack, brushed his teeth and stepped out of the bathroom, flicking the light off behind him. He halted when he seen Jasina, his eyes automatically devouring her and couldn't hide his immediate reaction to her even if he wanted too, though he was also at war.

"What...is this?" Mark demanded in a huskier voice than he would have liked.

Her hand lifted to press a finger against her lips, slowly slipping out of the huge bed walking toward him slowly. Teal eyes never left confused emerald green, though Jasina could clearly see the desire coursing through them. She reached out and slowly took the towel from around his waist, rubbing it against his ass a little before letting it drop to the floor, devouring him from head to toe. She was feeling really brave and knew he wouldn't hurt her, slowly inching closer as her tongue ran up the length of his stomach and chest while wrapping her small hand around his already hardened cock.

"You wanna ask me that again or just shut up and fuck me?" She murmured seductively, beginning to stroke him and smirked when he groaned in response.

Mark could only groan, wanting to inform her that this was cheating...she was cheating! She was purposefully turning him on so he'd forget about their fight and the fact that she had smacked the taste out of his mouth with their daughter right there and…Damn it, her hand wrapped around his cock, slowly pumping up and down, was doing a great job of making him forget they had even fought to begin with. What fight? Growling, he gently pulled her hand off of him before snatching her up, guiding her beautiful tanned legs around his waist before dropping down onto the bed, pinning her to the sheets.

"Fuck you of course." He rumbled, rubbing against her, every other thought vanishing from his clouded mind.

"Good answer." She purred, melting against him as her hands slid up and down his muscular arms, eyes gleaming with wicked intentions. "I've been such a bad girl though. I think you should punish me."

She slapped him across the face during a fight. Jasina decided Mark should return the favor to her round shaped ass as she bent her knee up to press her foot against his chest, shoving him away long enough to switch positions. Sliding her panties down to her knees, her round shaped ass was clearly in his vision and looked over her shoulder at him licking her lips.

"I think I need a spanking, what do you think?" Jasina wanted him rough, fast, hard and aggressive.

Angry sex was the best after all.

Mark had no idea where THIS Jasina had come from and quickly did an eyeball check to make sure she wasn't under the influence, not actually touching her, just stared into her eyes. Besides a whole lot of evil intentions, he saw nothing suspicious and decided to go along with whatever she had in mind, see where this would wind up. He moved quicker than a man his size had the right too, so he was sitting Indian style in the middle of the bed with her sprawled out on his lap, that pert ass exposed to him. Mark did away with her panties because honestly, from this point on, she wouldn't need them.

"I think you're right, Jasina." He growled in a very low voice, coming out rather darkly, though still inflected with the desire he was currently experiencing. He ran a hand across her cheeks lightly before smacking them each in quick succession. Not enough to really hurt her, but she was now a little pink. "You have been a very bad girl..."

"Uh huh…" She gasped out breathlessly, nodding and knew Mark had checked her eyes to make sure she was fully alert, pushing that away for now.

That was one of the many reasons why they would never work as a couple.

Mark didn't trust her and couldn't let the past go. No matter what she did and how she proved herself, it was never going to be enough. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jasina knew he was waiting for her to go back to her old ways, to leave and break his heart again, to succumb to the addiction that had run her life for so many years and nearly killed her.

Jasina buried her nails in the bedding as he kept spanking her, quivering with unbridled ecstasy as it coursed through her entire body. Only when her ass was nice a red, Jasina managed to pull away from him and pulled the negligee up further, on her hands and knees, hoping he got the message. All she wanted was to be pounded harder than she ever thought possible, knowing only Mark could feed her hunger and craving.

Mark knew exactly what Jasina wanted and, at this point, all he wanted was to give it to her. Her ass was deliciously red and he knew sitting tomorrow would probably sting quite a bit. For her, it would also be a constant reminder of tonight and that thought made him smirked wickedly.

As tempting as ripping the negligee off of her was, he managed to refrain, settling for instead pulling her up onto her knees so her back was pressed to his chest and tugged the straps down until her breasts were free. His hands glided up her ribs to palm her breasts, not being gentle yet not hard enough to cause her serious discomfort. Knowing she was begging for his rock hard cock inside of her, the urge to torture her just a bit before giving it to her.

"Want me to fuck you, Jasina?" Mark purred in her ear before gently biting the side of her throat, running his tongue over the subtle and already fading marks, repeating several times.

Gritting her teeth, Jasina knew Mark wanted her to beg for it and she wasn't going to do it, not right away. He wanted it just as bad as her, so why was he holding back? This had nothing to do with their fight; this was about straight dirty unbridled sex.

"Fuck me now." Jasina ground out, feeling him push her down back on her hands, the sting of his hand against her ass radiating throughout her body, making her wet sex tingle with anticipation. "Goddamn it, now Mark!"

Smirking, Mark gripped her hips and pulled her back towards him, arching his hips so his painfully erect cock was brushing against her, feeling how wet and ready she was. He moved one hand down to grip himself, teasing her further by rubbing himself up and down her slit, hearing her groan at the contact. Both of them weren't going to last very long after all the teasing and torment. After poising himself at her entrance, he slid in just a fraction of an inch, immediately feeling her walls greedily trying to draw him in further and held still, letting her think he was only going to prolong it. Torturing himself enough, Mark gritted his teeth and plunged into her more than welcoming body, loving how receptive she was.

Filling her to capacity was almost too much for Jasina to take; Mark definitely wasn't a small man by any means. He stretched her to absolute limits and then some; Jasina loved being dominated, it was one of the main things she enjoyed about sex with Mark. He always knew what she wanted and needed, though how she'd shown up in his bed probably gave him somewhat of a tip-off. The alcohol raced through her body, pumping her adrenaline more and made her brave enough to actually pull this off without angering Mark further.

"YES!" She shrieked out when he fully sheathed himself inside of her in one quick thrust, sweat already beading on her body.

Mark didn't let her adjust to him fully; knowing Jasina wanted a little pain with the pleasure and began sliding in and out of her body, gritting his teeth. It was hard not to just plunge in and take her as hard and fast as she begged him, Mark wanted it to last as long as possible. He definitely wasn't a one minute man in the bedroom, but this position definitely sped up the release process.

So he began pumping in and out of her at a steady pace, the sounds of his balls slapping against her pussy lips slowly getting louder and louder with each passing second. Jasina could only cry out in pure ecstasy, becoming completely lost in it and met him for every thrust. When she began pushing back against him to meet the thrusts, Mark slapped her cheek as punishment, turning it a nice rosy red and that just made her want to push back against him that much more.

When Mark could no longer hold back, his thrusts increased rapidly, burying his hand in her beautiful hair to yank her back against him. Her back pressed against his chest while he continued giving her exactly what she asked for. His fingers slid the straps of her negligee down her shoulders until her breasts were exposed, not caring if it was fully removed, and tweaked her nipples between his fingers, rolling them. They instantly hardened against his touch and that reaction just made Mark pound into her harder and faster, letting the fire spread throughout his body, lighting every nerve-ending, driving both of them further to the edge.

Fast, hard, rough and angry with loads of passion...that's exactly what Jasina wanted and what Mark gave her, taking her to heights that only they could reach together.

He ended up taking her negligee off so they were both completely naked, switching positions as their moans and groans filled the air. Jasina was pretty sure there was a dent in the wall from how hard the headboard smacked the wall repeatedly, but she honestly didn't care, only focused on being completely satisfied. They both came together with her on top, riding him for everything she had inside of her, getting rid of all the anger and aggression, hoping she hadn't drawn blood with her nails from raking down his chest and back roughly. Her body collapsed on top of him in a sweaty heap, their breathing labored while hearts pounded furiously, her face buried in his neck, just trying to focus on breathing.

Only able to lie there, Mark mentally talked his heart out of leaping from his chest; it was beating that rapidly. He kept one arm on Jasina's back, rubbing slow soothing circles against her damp skin, feeling her quivering on top of him and could also feel her own heart doing the same thing his was. Gently, he nudged her until her head was out of the crook of his neck, smiling slightly.

"Breathin' comes easier if you're not tryin' to suffocate yourself, darlin'." He pointed out in a slow murmured drawl, almost whispering.

Jasina chuckled hoarsely and scooted down a little, smiling in contentment as her eyes closed with her head on his collarbone now. She gently ran her fingertip along his tattoos, letting her mind drift to all the good times they had together, even before she found out she was pregnant with Arielle. Jasina knew they would have to talk eventually, but right now all she wanted to do was lay on top of him hearing his heartbeat and forget about everything else except what just happened between them.

Eventually, they were going to have to discuss the reason this explosive sex occurred. Mark wasn't a complete idiot; it had just dawned on him a bit late what this was all about and he was actually quite fine with it. Angry sex wasn't anything he was going to turn down, not if it meant coming out of a shower to see her like that on his bed...Mark cut that line of thinking right away because he didn't have enough energy, or fluid, to go again right this very moment. He didn't break the silence, just continued stroking her hair, his eyes drifting shut though he didn't fall asleep, just enjoying this moment of solitude. Eventually, Jasina moved off of Mark to lie on the bed, feeling him wrap his arms around her, both of them instantly drifting off to sleep...or at least Mark did.

Once Jasina knew Mark was fully asleep, due to his incessant snoring that could wake the dead, she carefully slipped out of his arms to put the negligee and panties back on, looking over at him while he slept peacefully. It was very hard waking him up, which Jasina was grateful for and crept out of the room, losing the door behind her. She made it to her car and instantly felt the tears slide down her cheeks, gripping the steering wheel tightly, not knowing what she was doing anymore.

Somehow, Jasina knew staying with Mark right now was a mistake and that's what gave her strength to pull away from the ranch, heading back to Trish's.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Waking up alone, Mark had to adjust his eyes for a minute and wondered where the hell Jasina was. He sure as hell did NOT dream that deliciously wicked sex session, especially with the faint scratches on his chest and back burning slightly, enough for him to know he hadn't been dreaming. Figuring she was downstairs brewing a pot of coffee, he slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms, quickly padding downstairs.

It took one look into the empty kitchen to realize she wasn't there. A glance out the window confirmed it. She had left sometime while he was still asleep...Gritting his teeth, Mark stood there, debating internally on what to do, if anything. Finally deciding, he spun around and headed back upstairs, pissed beyond belief.

Jasina had her phone on silent and ignored Mark's calls during the day, focusing on her work and knew leaving was probably the worst possible thing she could do. Having wicked angry sex wasn't the smartest decision either, but Jasina couldn't help herself. Work went without any problems and Jasina was glad to be informed that Landon had been arrested for the murder of all the local missing women over the last year and a half.

It was over twenty.

It sickened her, but at the same time she was glad justice had finally prevailed and knew he was being sent away for life. When Randy invited Jasina out for a celebratory drink after work, she couldn't resist, not able to wipe the smile off her face even though it didn't fully reach her troubled eyes. The last thing she should do is drink, but Jasina needed to take the edge off somehow, still not believing what she'd done the previous night and she hadn't even been that drunk!

"The best part is," Randy said animatedly, so excited by the fact that they had helped to bring this sick murderer to justice that he wasn't as observant as usual. "That blood from your shirt WAS the last girl they found murdered, the girl we originally set out to investigate. Trish has our story queued for tomorrow's front page." He stopped his chatter when he realized the smile on her face hadn't flickered even once, like it was pasted on and automatically reached out to clasp her hands in his. "Jasina, you alright? You don't seem...enthused about this."

"O-Of course I am!" She brightened instantly, squeezing his hands in return, knowing she couldn't let what happened between her and Mark interfere with this fantastic news. "It's such a rush! I'm so glad he was caught partially because of us."

Jasina released his hands and knew Trish would probably throw some kind of company party to honor Randy's tremendous work since they'd been trying to capture Landon for over a year. It was a big deal and triumph to Houston. Hesitating, his smile wavered uncertainly before deciding whatever was wrong was probably personal and therefore none of his business. So instead, Randy focused on their shared triumph and tried to cheer her up within his limits.

"Eve said Trish would probably throw some kind of party, which seems over-the-top, but she's the boss. I also think Eve was hinting that she wanted to go with me." Randy liked Eve, but she was way too cheery and perky for him, there was a limit on how much cheeriness he could handle. "I'm just glad that bastard's been caught. Do you need a refill?"

"Yeah sure." Jasina replied distractedly, looking miles away. "I knew Trish would do something like that." Laughing softly, Jasina wanted to enjoy herself and smoothed her hands over the black skirt she wore that went two inches above the knee. She had a deep crimson top that hugged her body nicely, long sleeved since it was chilly in Houston at night. Jasina didn't want to think about Mark anymore, pushing him back in the far recesses of her mind. "I'm glad he's off the streets and it's all because of your brilliance. Cheers Randy." They clanked glasses together, Jasina blushed when Randy said he couldn't have done it without her and nudged him playfully. "Shut up, I'm still a rookie in training so you get all the glory."

"No, it doesn't work that way, Jasina. Rookies get glory too, especially rookies responsible for getting pieces of shit to spill their guts. He wouldn't have done that for just me alone, not at least without a lot of beer in him." Or other methods, which Randy would never inform her of or let her catch him doing.

Given what he knew about Jasina's past, he figured she would not take kindly to knowing he would occasionally spike someone's drink if they were a suspect in some sort of high level crime. He was dressed in form fitting blue jeans that hugged all the right places and a white long sleeved buttoned up shirt. It revealed the occasional glimpse of tanned, muscular flesh beneath whenever he moved since he wasn't in the habit of tucking in his shirts or wearing the top buttons buttoned.

Jasina waved him off dismissively and leaned back against the booth, making sure there was no blood on it even though Emerald City was a great clean place to hang out as opposed to Landon's eyesore. "Whatever you say, partner." She winked and finished off her second beer while they made small chatter, mostly about what other methods they could've taken without Randy giving away too much information. "I can't wait to do it again, this is quite the rush."

"I'm digging up something new. I'll know tomorrow if we have a story or not, though let's hope Trish decides to let us keep low profiles or that'll blow any shot of being able to pull another story like this off again. We'll be reporting local fairs and craft events." He joked, glad to see she was beginning to look like she was having a semi-good time. As other people came in and the place got busier, Randy eventually took to people watching with her, pointing out little details he noticed and explaining how to read body language, which she picked up on quickly. "That girl is sleeping with her boyfriend...and his buddy." Randy announced, on another beer and stripped out of his dress shirt, wearing a beater beneath it since he was getting a bit warm.

"Seriously?"

Jasina blinked when Randy nodded, completely serious and glanced at the woman, without trying to stare blatantly. She had to be careful of doing that so they didn't look suspicious when in the field. Watching as the woman nudged her boyfriend's best friend secretively, the desire in her eyes told the entire story and Jasina nodded as she refilled her glass.

"You are very observant. Okay, do me." She challenged and turned to fully face him, staring into his eyes. "Read me."

"Seriously?"

It was his turn blink bewildered blue eyes at her, wondering if that was such a good idea. When she nodded encouragingly, Randy inwardly groaned, thinking it'd be best if he just made something up. That was squashed when he noticed her own teal eyes narrowing at him, knowing she was wondering if he was going to do just that and nodded.

"Fine." He caved and sat back, taking a sip of his beer as he studied her. "Your body is naturally relaxed, which says you had sex either last night or this morning, good sex at that. But you're also tense at the same time, or you were, so that tells me something happened afterwards to upset you."

"Damn you're good." She muttered, pulling her gaze from him and turned to stare down at her beer, chewing her bottom lip. "And you're completely right too." Jasina had possibly some of the best sex with Mark the night before she ever experienced, only to leave him high and dry during the night, knowing he was pretty ticked at her. "Okay let me try reading you." Turning to face him, not giving him a chance to agree or protest, Jasina eyed him decisively. "You're never fully relaxed; there is some part of you always tense, which means you're in desperate need of sex to relax or you're constantly on alert looking for a new story." She pulled back a little. "That and you're hot because you're thinking about something that's increasing your body temperature."

"Well, you're right and you're wrong." He said with a half-grin, shifting in his seat to look at her more comfortably, signaling for another round. "I am never completely relaxed because you're right, I'm always looking for the next story. The sex...it's been awhile, but I can handle that myself if I need to." He couldn't believe he had just said that and couldn't take it back. "And my body temperature is rising because I've been drinking, which makes a person feel warmer." And now he was thinking about sex...great...Randy groaned quietly.

"Hey I tried at least."

Jasina wondered for a brief second what Randy did to relieve his sexual tension and whatever he was doing did not work. She pushed it out of her mind, knowing she couldn't remotely think about Randy in any way besides a co-worker and friend, because of Mark. She didn't mix business with pleasure either, so even if Jasina wasn't dating Mark, she wouldn't jump into bed with Randy.

"Damn, I didn't realize how late it was getting." She had glanced down at her watch and knew she still had to work on a few things for Trish regarding the wedding, smiling apologetically. "Thank you for inviting me out again. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure." Randy said, pushing away from the table, pleased than he wanted to be that she was calling it a night. Drinks and talking about sex, he had a mental image of her on the table, writhing under him, and knew normally he would never even dared to imagine THAT if it hadn't been for the topic of conversation. "You alright to drive or do you need a ride? Or I could call you a cab?" He offered, folding his cast off shirt over his arm, keeping his eyes firmly fastened on her face.

"Would you mind giving me a ride?" Jasina hated asking, but also didn't want to drink and drive, suddenly wondering if Randy was in the shape to drive his own vehicle. "Actually, let's just split a cab together to be on the safe side."

She watched him nod reluctantly, knowing he didn't like leaving his car anywhere, but they had finished two pitchers of beer and Jasina was slightly buzzed. Randy was bigger than her, but she also didn't know how much alcohol he could handle, being a workaholic and all. They walked out of the bar, Jasina's arm looped through Randy's and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Mark mounted on his motorcycle.

"Oh shit."

Randy followed her gaze and thought the same thing she just voiced, but didn't say it aloud, not allowing her to pull her arm free either. He saw no reason. They weren't doing anything wrong, just walking out of a bar together after talking about mostly work…and sex. That was definitely not the best mindset to have while walking toward Jasina's rather large boyfriend.

"Hello." Randy greeted, casually letting go of her in a way that wouldn't seem hasty or guilty.

Mark was parked right behind Randy's SUV and Jasina's car, his acid green eyes narrowed at the pair of them. He could tell from the flush of Jasina's cheeks that she had more than her customary amount of drinks and wondered if her new co-worker was the reason she had decided to take off the other night. Jasina could feel the tension mounting in the air, knowing she had to crush it quickly before something bad happened, trying to remain calm.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Randy."

She touched his arm with a smile, letting him know everything was fine and would get home safely, heading over in Mark's direction. Jasina wasn't drunk, but buzzed enough that Jasina was feeling pretty good...until now. She fought the urge to run in the opposite direction, finally stopping in front of Mark, who hadn't moved from his bike. Even though leaving him the previous night was wrong, Jasina refused to feel guilty about her decision, knowing it would've just made things more awkward between them.

"What are you doing here?"

"Wonderin' the same about you." He grunted in a dark voice. "Is that why you left me last night? For that boy?"

Mark nodded his head viciously towards Randy, who had rounded to the driver's side of his car, but not gotten in yet and snorted. The little bastard was waiting to see how things went down, which angered Mark further. Not to mention, Mark WAS blocking him from backing out of his parking space, not in any hurry to move.

"Care to explain, Jas? Hmm, darlin'?" Mark demanded, raising his voice slightly so Randy could clearly hear him. "Wanna tell me why you showed up and begged me to fuck you and then took off like a coward in the middle of the night?"

Let the little punk choke on that.

Randy could literally feel his ears burning, more out of anger that Mark had actually said that for everyone to hear.

"What do you mean left you? I didn't leave you, Mark." Her teal eyes narrowed, wondering if he really wanted to get into this in the parking lot of the Emerald City bar, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I told you that I didn't like the fact you let Arielle, our soon-to-be seventeen year old TEENAGE daughter drink, even if it is in front of you. And what did you do? You threw the past in my face AGAIN. Do you know why I came to you last night? Because I just wanted to have one night where I didn't feel like myself, that I felt like a woman and nothing more. That I didn't have to live with the constant guilt of what I did to you and Arielle all those years ago. I didn't want to hear anything come out of your mouth regarding that fight, that's not why I came to you last night. And I left because if we woke up together and went back to the way things were, I would be miserable again. You cause me misery and I can't deal with it anymore, Mark. I deserve better than that! I deserve a man who isn't going to constantly throw my past in my face and who loves me FULLY for who I am, who ACCEPTS my mistakes and who wants to marry me someday. You don't. Moving in with you was a huge mistake and a last resort to try to work things out between us. It's not going to happen as long as you keep letting the past eat away at you, which I know it does. Trish never got rid of my apartment and I'm moving out this weekend, just so you're aware. We need time apart to figure out what we really want because, other than mind-blowing sex, we're clearly not happy and that's no way to live."

He could choke on that as she began walking away from him, tears streaming down her face, suddenly stopping to face him again.

"You know, the jealousy really needs to stop too because Randy and I are in a partnership and we were celebrating nailing a murderous bastard for killing over twenty women, teenagers included. We were celebrating by having a few drinks, so why don't you take your jealous ass home and stop assuming I would ever cheat on you."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

He hadn't been talking about her leaving; Mark knew why she had done that or at least he had thought he knew. He had meant this morning, taking off in the middle of the night, but yet again, they were having a communication error. Snorting, he dismounted his motorcycle, not giving a damn about Randy's little predicament and stormed over to her, grabbing her firmly by her wrists.

"Goddamn you Jas, you didn't EVER mention marriage to me, ever, until recently. And you know I forgive you for your mistakes, you're the one who keeps- stop it!" Mark growled when she tried squirming away. "You're the one who keeps assumin' I'm trying to throw it in your damn face!"

Randy noticed her trying to get away and her boyfriend not letting her, jerking her back against him when she tried breaking free again. That was pretty much it for him keeping his temper, which was deadly when finally roused, under control.

"What do you mean you didn't throw it in my face?!" Jasina cried, wondering if he suddenly gained amnesia, her eyes flashing warningly because they were making a scene. "When I snapped over Arielle drinking, you immediately said if I was afraid of Arielle turning out like me! What the hell do you call THAT, you liar?" She struggled against him more, not seeing Randy heading toward them, crying harder. "I love you and I'm done trying to make up for what I did to you! You haven't forgiven me or you wouldn't have said that shit! NOW, LET ME GO!" She blinked when her wrists suddenly ripped out of Mark's grasp, Jasina stumbling back to stand behind Randy, breathing heavily. "Randy, please don't." She went to step in front of him, but Randy wasn't letting her, causing Jasina to groan.

"Boy, you had best mind your own business." Mark cautioned darkly.

"I will as soon as you keep your hands to yourself." While Mark was sounding angrier by the minute, Randy's own tone was going flat and calm.

"Jasina is the last person who needs protection." Mark snorted derisively. "She's quite capable of handlin' herself."

"That doesn't make it alright for you to grab her the way you were, or keep hold of her when she said to let her go."

"Move. Before. I. Move. You." Mark threatened, punctuating each word and took a step forward.

They were toe to toe and Randy wasn't backing down.

"Randy, stop it that's enough." Jasina shoved her way in between them somehow, due to how tiny she was, and pressed one hand against Mark's chest with the other against Randy's. "I can handle this, I need to talk to Mark okay?" Her wrists were killing her because of how hard Mark had grabbed them, but Jasina wasn't worried about that right now. "Please." Her teal eyes locked with Randy, swallowing hard at the icy blue that was normally warm and friendly. "Please leave, let me handle this. I promise everything is fine." She felt Mark's chest press against her back, not wanting them to come to blows. "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

If Randy wanted to stay friends with her, he would walk away and let her handle her personal business. When Jasina had come back to work after missing a day, -the same day they were initially to start working together- Randy remembered her moving her hands gingerly, more to the point he she hadn't done much to bend them or twist them. When she had, that was explained now. Taking a very deep breath to rein his temper in, Randy stared down at her, the plea and the threat in her eyes crystal and nodded once, brushing past Mark.

"Move your bike out of my way or I'll move it for you." Randy called over his shoulder as a parting shot.

If that boy so much as scratched the paint, Mark would rip his heart out through his chest with his bare hand. He glanced down at Jasina. "You going to stay put while I do that or should I just take you with me?" Mark demanded, tempted to take her with him and just leave instead of move the Harley, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Jasina gaped when Randy said that and saw the look in Mark's eyes, moving to back away when he grabbed her by the hand, tossing her over his shoulder. He set her on his bike, her skirt riding up quite a bit. It barely covered her cheeks and Jasina rolled her eyes while Mark mounted in front of her, trying to pull her skirt down while he moved out of Randy's way. Keeping her arms folded, Jasina watched as Randy zoomed past them at warp speed, hoping he didn't kill anyone on his way home and clung to Mark when he suddenly sped out of there.

"What about my car?!" Jasina yelled in his ear, feeling him shrug and growled, not amused in the slightest.

He didn't care about her car, it wasn't his problem. What he cared about was getting her somewhere she couldn't just run away from him and knew he wouldn't be falling for anymore of her wiles, not for awhile anyway. Not until they had gotten this sorted out for good and proper this time.

Arielle was at home, so he didn't bother going there and since her new...boy...friend lived in the same building she did, Mark wasn't going to her place. Mark headed for his garage, knowing it was closed down and empty. Perfect place to have it out, providing she was kept away from any tools she could throw at him. When they pulled up to the shop, Jasina wondered what the hell Mark brought her here for, releasing him as soon as they came to a stop as her arms once again folded in front of her chest.

"What are we doing here?"

She blinked when he lifted her up to place her on her feet, lucky she hadn't lost her stiletto heels, rolling her eyes when he simply walked toward the front door to unlock it. Overbearing and sexy all in one package, it didn't bode well for Jasina as she reluctantly walked past him inside, the door shutting ominously behind them.

"Are you going to answer me or just keep being an asshole?" She demanded irritably, placing her hands on her hips.

"That depends," He sneered right back at her, storming over to the mini-fridge he and Steve kept in the corner of the office to grab himself a beer, squeezing the can so hard the tab threatened to pop off due to the pressure and relaxed his grip. "Are you gonna talk to me properly or run off again?" Mark wasn't referring to her leaving him like she had the night she had slapped him, but last night when she became a sex goddess he didn't recognize, eyes narrowing until they were slits, a mere hint of acid showing through.

"I told you why I left last night and don't you dare try making this all my fault!" Jasina snapped, immediately regretting it and sighed heavily, taking a few deep breaths. "I don't condone that you let Arielle drink alcohol in front of you and it has nothing to do with my past and it has nothing to do with me trusting her. It has nothing to do with me being scared if she's going to wind up like me...because she's smarter than that. It's WRONG. It's ILLEGAL and that's how I feel about it. I slapped you because you tried stopping me from leaving after you hurt me...again. When you're not sexing me up and making me feel like you did last night, we're fighting like we're doing now. It's a love/hate relationship and I don't know how much more I can take, Mark. This is my fault too. I should've been up front with you about how I felt and what I wanted. I wasn't completely honest with you and that's one of the many reasons why we need space and time apart to figure things out. To figure out if we really want to be with each other or if we just want to be sex buddies or if we want anything at all." She could feel tears sliding down her cheeks, but Jasina didn't even bother wiping them away, standing there on shaky legs.

"I want YOU Jasina, all of you. But you're so damn busy worrying about what we DON'T have that you never bother to realize what we DO have. It's not all about sex or fightin', Jasina. We talk, we cook together; we do things around the house and work with Arie when she needs it. We have the family life going. Granted, I'm not all that great about goin' OUT of the house and doing the family routine, but I always thought we were doin' good. You just never bothered tellin' me otherwise until lately."

"Dating for four years without so much as even mentioning moving in together isn't good, Mark. I need more in my life. I want you too and I'm sorry if I worry about things that I feel I deserve and notice things are wrong in our 'happy little family' that you don't." Jasina took her heels off and tossed them to the side, her feet throbbing because she was standing and wasn't used to it, having a desk job and all. "Take for instance the car situation: You clearly came to me asking for help to pay for a car for Arielle and then TOTALLY left me out of the equation. Why bother even asking me in the first damn place? I know you're car literate and you think I don't know jack about them, but I do know an SUV is a BAD idea because they have blind spots up the ass, they suck gas like there's no tomorrow and they are not safe vehicles all around. That is my personal feeling and opinion on it. Then there's the drinking with Arielle. Being a recovering addict, I know more than anyone what alcohol can lead to. I know she's a good kid, a great daughter and gets straight A's, but that does NOT give you the right to let her drink underage under that roof! I'm so afraid of telling you anything because...I was afraid of losing you or stepping on your toes. You think you're the perfect parent, the perfect father, and you know what? You're pretty damn close, but in the short amount of time that I've been in Arielle's life, I've become a pretty damn good Mom! And I should be able to voice my concerns and opinions without you throwing the past in my face!"

"I am anythin' BUT the perfect parent, you self-righteous little..." Mark stopped himself before he called her something he felt she might be, but would also regret later, taking a very deep breath. "I asked for yer help with the car because I didn't want you to feel left out, and yes, I should've asked your opinion, but I didn't and when you found out about the SUV you shoulda said somethin' then, like when I asked 'what do you think' instead of sittin' on it and JUST NOW turnin' it on me! As for you knowin' more than anyone what alcohol can lead to, and you can quote me and hold onto this for your grudge fest later on, you only THINK you know. Not everyone turns out like you did Jasina; hell, not everyone pulls themselves back out of it like you did either. I knocked back a beer or two with my old man when I was a kid and I don't have an alcohol problem." At least, he wasn't an alcoholic in the sense of getting up, drinking from sun up till sundown while working, eating and functioning in general, only to pass out after vomiting and repeating the vicious cycle that most alcoholics did. "Not everyone is goin' to wind up goin' down that road. And since WHEN do you have a problem saying ANYTHING?"

"I don't, not anymore at least." Her voice had gone quiet, knowing he stopped himself from calling her a bitch, but there was no use. "I should've told you how I truly felt and I didn't, so I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry about a lot of things. And you're right, I don't know everything about alcohol, but I do know right from wrong. My mother was an alcoholic." Mark never knew this about her family because Jasina wanted to keep it locked in her mind forever in a tiny box so she never had to think about it. "So even though alcoholism isn't in YOUR family, it's in mine. And I got pissed off that night because, not only did I see my little girl drinking a beer with her father, but I had to endure an investigation that brought back awful memories from the past. I didn't want to burden you with any of it, but maybe I should've. Maybe I should've opened my mouth instead of kept bottled up because then maybe we wouldn't be here right now saying these hateful things to each other." She had absolutely no strength left inside of her, no more fight, at least for the time being. "We don't work, Mark. We were never a happy little family, not with all this animosity and hatred. We gave it a shot and...It just doesn't work between us. You won't change and I won't change, I don't want us to have to change who we are and what we believe in to be together because then we'd both be miserable. I'm sorry for not opening my mouth and speaking my mind when I should've, I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you about the car and my feelings. But I am NOT sorry about my reaction to Arielle drinking and I never will be."

Getting the feeling she was trying to tell him goodbye, Mark wasn't entirely sure what or how to feel about it. Knowing the immediate feeling of denial and they could work it out might be nothing except him clinging to something already broken. At the moment, he wasn't being entirely rational.

"You don't have to be sorry for it, darlin'." He rumbled softly, dropping so he was sitting on top of his desk, raking a hand tiredly through his loose hair. "What now, Jas? You want more time? To call it off completely?" Mark never thought he'd ever ask her that one, swallowing down anything else he might've said.

"I think we should take some space until we both figure out what we want and if we can make this work..." Jasina didn't want anyone else though, but what if Mark couldn't give her what she needed and deserved? "I don't want to go back to the way things were." Her voice cracked, feeling her heart shattering into pieces, the pain almost too much to handle. "I love you, that hasn't changed and it never will. I just feel like if we continue on this path, we're going to destruct and end up hating each other. If I can't be with you, then I at least want to be civil and maybe even friends. Arielle needs both of us, even if we're not together as a couple."

Taking what had to be his hundredth deep breath that night, Mark forced his head to move in a slight nod, not saying anything. He realized he still had an open beer in his hand, though the can was mostly empty and had squeezed it without even realizing, the beer now on his boots and floor. Disgusted, he threw it away, keeping his back to her to give himself a moment to just close his eyes and let out a long, shuddering sigh. Squaring his shoulders and pulling himself together, Mark turned to look at her, nodding yet again, only this time stiffly.

"Alright darlin', if that's what you want. I'll take you back to your car."

She was right, all they were doing was hurting each other and Arielle; he didn't want that anymore than she did. Mark didn't want to see their daughter hurt and he didn't want to be the cause of her pain. Jasina couldn't stand seeing him in pain like this and stepped forward, frowning when he held his hand up, halting her from touching him.

"It's not what I want, but I don't know what else to do at this point." There was too much damage between them, too much history and Jasina should've known that before deciding to get involved with her ex-husband. "You don't have to take me back, I can call a cab." She couldn't even crack the barest hint of a smile, wiping more tears away that fell from her eyes. "Take care of yourself, Mark."

Jasina walked out before she ended up running back into his arms, begging him to never let her go and headed outside, calling for a cab as pieces of her heart lay in the pit of her stomach, feeling like vomiting. Against everything screaming for him to go chase after her and at the very least take her back to her car, Mark forced himself to stay right where he was, clenching and unclenching his fists. When he heard a car door shut, he walked over to the window to look out, seeing Jasina in the back of a cab and had to back away, fighting down the urge to put his fist straight through the glass pane.

He should have gone after her.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"So why are you moving out again?"

Jasina sighed for the umpteenth time that day, lugging boxes out of the ranch, thankful Mark was nowhere to be found. "Your father and I decided me moving in together wasn't the best idea and we're taking a break." She knew this was hurting Arielle, but they had to do what was best for everyone around. "I'm still in the same apartment, you know you're more than welcome there anytime."

"But I don't understand why. You don't love each other anymore?"

"I will always love your father, Arie. Sometimes love just isn't enough."

"Wait, that makes no sense, how isn't love enough? If you guys love each other, than you should be able to work out your problems without having to take a break." Arielle said, not too keen on helping move her Mom out of their home, but when she seen Jasina's arms lowering wearily, she stepped forward to take the box and placed it on top of the car. "Mom, I don't want you to leave and I know Dad doesn't either. Please, don't go."

"It's not like I'm moving thousands of miles away, Arielle. It's the best for now. Your father and I are taking a break, it doesn't mean we're completely giving up. Living together is not working right now and if we continue to go down this road, we'll end up hating each other." Jasina explained, feeling exhausted as she took the box off the car to shove it in her car. "Do you want that? Do you want your parents to end up hating each other? Or would you rather us get along and be civil, possibly even friends, if we can't work through our problems?" There was so much Arielle didn't know and Jasina hated doing this, fighting back tears.

Pulling a complete teenager move, which she didn't do often, Arielle frowned and held up her hands defensively. "Why are you tryin' to guilt trip me? I didn't do anything besides want BOTH my parents together and happy!" A fat tear rolled down her cheek and she impatiently brushed it away, her eyes glistening with more she was struggling to hold back. "I want you guys together; I always have, but if you can't do it then just say so and stop saying 'it's better this way, we're taking a break'."

"But we ARE taking a break, I'm not lying to you!" Jasina turned to place her hands on Arielle's shoulders, staring down into her emerald eyes. "Sweetheart, Daddy and I have a lot to work through, more than you could possibly imagine. We want to be happy and we think this is the best way honestly. I love you and so does your Dad. Who knows what will happen in the future, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I'm not keeping anything from you. I would never lie to you either."

She pulled Arielle into a tight hug, fighting back tears of her own and hated the way this was tearing them apart. Knowing short of kidnapping them and forcing them into a locker room with Doctor Phil, Arielle wasn't going to win this battle and had no right to interfere anymore. She was almost an adult and they were adults. Hugging her mom tightly, Arielle buried her face in her shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you, Mom." She whispered, having liked knowing Jasina was right down the hall with Dad…like it should be.

"I'm still here." Jasina sniffled, pulling back to press her forehead against Arielle's. "I'm not going anywhere, do you hear me? If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Come to my job, Trish doesn't care. You can stay with me anytime you want, but I am here for you and Daddy. We're still going to have your birthday party together and everything is going to work out, okay? Just because I'm not under the same roof, doesn't mean I'm not your mother and doesn't mean I'm not here for you for anything, anytime, anywhere."

"Mom, just...tell me one thing, honestly, and promise not to get mad at me for askin' because I really need too. And no, I'm not askin' for Daddy either." Arielle said as she pulled away, staring directly into Jasina's teal eyes, searching for a hint of anything...bad. "You're not...seein' someone else, are you? I know you've been workin' a lot with that guy at work and you said he was handsome...This is just about you and Dad, and not...anyone else, right?"

"Yes, there is no one else making me do this, Arie." Jasina answered honestly, wiping her daughter's tears away that completely shredded her insides, wanting to give her anything she wanted. "I love your father, I love him more than anything, but..." She decided to be completely honest with Arielle and leaned against the car, holding her hands in hers. "I know he loves me too, but he can't seem to let what I did to both of you go. The past is haunting us and until we can get past it completely, we won't be able to be together or live together for that matter. Do you understand? Daddy needs to work this out for himself so please don't go asking him questions or berating him for something that is out of his control. I hurt him badly when I left, Arie. Sometimes, love isn't enough to fully forgive what I did."

"Well that is just plain out retarded. If he couldn't let it go then why'd he ever get back with you?" Arielle demanded, groaning with frustration. Men were so stupid sometimes, thinking they could have their cake, eat it too, and forget about everything else. "Are you sure I can't just smack him once or twice? I don't have to tell him why I'm doing it."

Even if she tried, Jasina couldn't stop laughing as she shook her head, kissing Arielle's forehead. "Maybe once, but don't you dare tell him the real reason. This has to stay between you and me, got it?" When she nodded, they embraced again and continued lugging boxes out of the house. "To answer your other question, I think Daddy jumped into this without really thinking about it. Not that he loves me any less, but I think he needs more time before we can fully be together, if that ever happens. And if we end up being good friends with a beautiful daughter, then that's alright with me." Since they were being honest with each other, Jasina decided to mention something else that really bothered her. "There is one other thing I want to talk to you about and I don't want you getting mad about it."

Given the way she had worded that, Arielle was instantly suspicious, but since Jasina had let her ask a question and hadn't gotten mad, she had to return the courtesy. It didn't mean she had to answer it. "Alright, what?" She racked her brain, trying to remember if she had done something her parents wouldn't approve of, which she hadn't, not since the night Mom had lost her stack over the beer.

Gently and carefully, Jasina explained to Arielle all about her side of the family, her mother anyway and why she had blown up over seeing her drinking beer with Mark. She made sure to make Arielle understand that it wasn't that she didn't trust her or was afraid she would end up like her, nothing like that. Alcoholism was a disease and she just wanted to make sure Arielle was aware of all the risks before she decided to drink. If Jasina left without talking to Arielle about that night, she wouldn't get another opportunity more than likely, especially since Mark left for the day.

Arielle didn't know what she had been expecting Jasina to talk about, but it hadn't been that and she listened intently, nodding to show she understood. She felt sad that her Mom had had such a very horrible mother of her own, feeling a whole lot luckier that she had wound up with two awesome loving parents. Even if they had their respective issues when it came to their personal relationship with each other.

"I understand now, Mom, and I get where you're coming from. You don't have to worry about me though; I don't drink anywhere at all except with Dad and that only started when I was sixteen, I've had exactly three beers with him. I won't drink anymore though, at least until I'm twenty-one, if it makes you feel better." She promised genuinely.

"That makes me feel a lot better, sweetheart." Jasina couldn't believe how understanding her daughter was, just another reason why she felt so blessed to be in Arielle's life. She'd grown up too fast and Jasina felt guilty for missing out on nearly her entire childhood. "Thank you for understanding. I shouldn't have snapped that night when I saw you, but it was more out of fear than anything."

When Arielle simply hugged and thanked her for being honest, Jasina couldn't help feeling the biggest weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They went back to finishing packing up the rest of her things in the small trailer Jasina rented. Arielle helped her finish up, finally standing on the front porch scuffing the toes of her work boots against the worn wood, her hands jammed into her denim shorts pockets.

"Mom, I know this is your first night gone and all, but can I stay with you for the night?" She asked quietly. "I don't think Dad is going to want me to see him just now."

Arielle didn't know how else to word that, not wanting to make her Dad sound desperate and sad, which...he was. He wasn't going to want Arie to witness him having another 'moment' as she had come to term them After his explosion in the basement, Mark had been pretty good about hiding them, but...she figured he was going to have a moment tonight whether he wanted to or not. Half of Jasina wanted to deny Arielle because she didn't want Mark being completely alone, but the desperation in her daughter's eyes was too much for Jasina to resist.

"Sure honey, go pack up a few things and call your Dad to let him know you're staying with me tonight."

She hated tearing Arielle in half like this and felt guilty, but they couldn't stay together just because it was easier for her. They had to want to be together without any of the past haunting them, just like she'd said. Jasina waited for Arielle in her car, turning some country music on and leaned back against her seat with a heaving sigh.

Arielle quickly packed a bag and then called her Dad, who had simply told her to have a good time, he would see her tomorrow and loved her. Arielle worried about him being alone, but honestly she worried about her Mom being alone too. She felt torn between her parents and hated feeling like she was caught in the middle. Also, she figured now, while they were in bonding mode, would be a good time to talk to her Mom about other matters…like her secret boyfriend.

They arrived at Jasina's apartment and began taking the boxes in, just setting them to the side. The furniture was clean and Jasina would have to give Trish a huge hug for keeping this place open for her in case things hadn't worked out with moving into the ranch. Jasina knew Arielle wanted to talk to her about something, she didn't just ask to stay over because one of Mark's moods. She didn't say anything though and decided to let Arielle bring up whatever was bothering her, lugging the final box in.

"Done." Jasina breathed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I'm thinking a pizza tonight, sound good?"

"A pizza sounds real good about now; better order two, I'm starvin'." Not to mention, pizza cold was awesome for breakfast. "Tons of mushrooms too and the cheesy bread."

Arielle had an appetite like her Dad and a metabolism from her mother, she could eat whatever she wanted, in some pretty serious amounts and not gain an ounce. She figured she'd wait until they were settled, eating and relaxed before taking the plunge, figuring she'd get one last meal if her Mom totally lost it. One pizza was with pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms while the other was simply pepperoni and Canadian bacon, pleasing both women.

Jasina paid for the pizza and got two plates out of the cupboards, having bought new dishes since she'd given hers away to a homeless shelter when she moved into the ranch. They had a glass of Pepsi and sat in the living room, watching the E channel to catch up on what was going on with the Hollywood gossip world, laughing together. By the time each woman was satisfied, nearly both pizzas were devoured, more by Arielle than Jasina.

"I am STUFFED." Jasina announced in a groan, rubbing her stomach.

"God I am stuffed too..." Arielle eyed the last piece of her pizza, debating on if she wanted to risk exploding and decided against it. She felt like she might actually have seams holding her together and they were strained enough as it was. "I think I might just explode, guts and pizza everywhere..." She smirked when her mom made a disgusted sound, pulling herself up into a sitting position. "Mom, do you remember Gary?" Arielle knew she was springing it out of the blue, but...she had too.

Blinking, Jasina looked toward her daughter and shut the television off, trying to jog her memory. "Gary..." She said the name thoughtfully, seeing the hesitation in her daughter's face and knew this upcoming topic was what bothered Arielle lately. "No honey, is he a friend of yours or something?" For some reason, Jasina couldn't remember a Gary, but then again she didn't have the sharpest mind as of late. "Should I remember him?"

Arielle could not believe her mom did not remember Gary. Jasina and Mark had BLOWN UP after she, Toni and Gary had locked them in Mark's bedroom for a weekend. They installed a steel door, grates over the vents, and bars over the windows. Jasina had totally lost her mind when she found out they had even slipped her sex drugs. How could she not remember? Smiling awkwardly, Arielle continued, hoping she wasn't digging her own proverbial grave.

"Remember the boy...who was with me and Toni...when, um, we kinda…kidnapped you and Dad and kept you in his room?" That was always a touchy topic.

Jasina's eyes suddenly narrowed, her memory instantly going back to that weekend and folded her arms in front of her chest, remembering the boy very clearly. "The sixteen year old boy who was hanging out with you twelve year old girls?" When she hesitantly nodded, Jasina had a sinking feeling she wasn't going to like what her daughter was about to say, taking a deep breath. "What about him, Arie?"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Well, NOW she remembered him and the way her eyes narrowed told Arielle that the memories weren't anything good. They had liked Gary fine until that weekend and learning he was older than her and Toni. Swallowing hard, Arielle forced herself to smile and reluctantly went on.

"Well, um, remember when we were talking about boys?" She could see the lights flickering on and knew this could turn ugly quickly. "Mom, don't blow up, just listen to me, okay? Then we can talk, like calm rational adults, alright?"

She had to remember Arielle was turning seventeen so, if she blew her stack, but the thought of Gary just rubbed Jasina the wrong way. "I'm going to assume you've been talking to him this entire time, yes?" When Arielle chewed her bottom lip, Jasina took a deep breath as she leaned against the couch, knowing Mark would've definitely blew his stack and several others if he heard this conversation right now. "Out with it, what exactly is going on between you and Gary?"

"We love each other." Arielle announced, figuring she might as well just get it all out on the table and over with, knowing they would have to have this conversation eventually. Since Jasina was the more reasonable parent, of course she hadn't figured on Mom and Dad splitting either, having been sort of counting on her Mom to help smooth the path with her Dad, but now that would be awkward. She still needed to tell her Mom though, tired of hiding it.

"We've been talkin' ever since he got out of juvie and he's changed Mom, he really has. You know how bad he had it at home with his Dad."

This was very hard for Jasina to hear and she suddenly needed a glass of wine, standing up with a small smile. "Give me a minute, Arie." Jasina whispered, heading into the kitchen and poured a glass, always limiting herself and never drinking liquor because that's when the alcoholism could kick in. She walked back in a few minutes later, slowly sipping wine, and sat back down while trying to mull this over in her head. "So in other words, if my calculations are correct, you've been talking for the past three years?" Gary had been in juvie for a year, she'd found out through Toni's mother. "And he's also twenty-one?" When Arielle nodded, Jasina couldn't stop the groan escaping her. "Okay...Are you sure it's love or do you think maybe it's just feeling that way because he's your first boyfriend?"

"Mom, I've known Gary for as long as I can remember. We -him, me and Toni- were really close friends until that weekend happened. I haven't seen him in person since then and it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter to him either because we both know what we're feelin' is real." Arielle said earnestly, trying to make her mom understand how she felt. "Maybe it's not love and maybe it'll end as soon as we finally do see each other. That's always a possibility, but right now, I honestly believe I love him."

This was her daughter's first love and Jasina hated the fact it was a twenty-one year old man that had locked her and Mark up together when he was sixteen, knowing he was the one who had been behind the installments. The girls couldn't do it by themselves and Gary was huge for his age at the time. But the look in Arielle's eyes, which were full of desperation and hope, made Jasina squash any negative feelings she had toward Gary for the moment.

"You better wait until you're eighteen before telling your father." She suggested acutely. "He will have a heart attack if you tell him before you're an adult."

"Mom, be real, I'm heading to college shortly after I'm seventeen, that's practically an adult and I'll almost be living as one." Except the all girl's dorm thing, with the house mother...same difference really. "I can't go off to college without tellin' him, it'd kill him." It was going to kill him anyway, but she wanted to get this out in the open finally. "Do you...think you could be there when I tell him?"

Jasina groaned openly when Arielle asked her that, expecting it, but didn't know how the hell she was supposed to stop Mark from exploding once Arielle told him. "After your party." Mark would never give Arielle a car if he found out before then and she didn't want her daughter's seventeen birthday ruined. "I promise after your birthday, even the next day if you want, we'll tell him. I want you to be happy for your birthday though, okay?"

Arielle would be happy if Gary could attend her party, but knew THAT would NOT go over well, not to mention she'd never get her car and she was too selfish to give that up. It meant freedom and a way to outrun her shotgun toting Dad. "Alright, after the party." She agreed after a moment, getting up to put the leftover pizza away and give her Mom a moment alone.

That had been a lot to spring on her today with everything else going on.

This definitely wasn't good, Jasina felt as though she'd been backed into a corner. She wasn't angry with Arielle so much as saddened because she knew how protective Mark was of their daughter. He specifically instructed Arielle never to speak to Gary again as long as she lived, even being grounded after wearing his clothes to school the day after they had finally busted out of Gary's trap.

Jasina briefly wondered if the guy was the one who put the idea of sex drugs into Arielle's mind, knowing she would never be able to come up with something so...devious. When Arielle returned, Jasina pulled her daughter in her arms, kissing her forehead and assured her that everything would be alright. Arielle felt really horrible when she finally lay down on the bed in the guest room.

Jasina always said it was 'her room', but it didn't feel like her room, though it was comforting to have her Mom just down the hallway. Overriding the comfortable feeling was the fact that she had purposefully sprung this information with Gary on her Mom at a time she knew she would be vulnerable and less likely to put up much of a fuss, totally hating herself for it now that she had done it. Burying her face in the pillow, Arielle promised herself she would apologize in the morning.

**~!~**

"Hey Jasi, how are you this morning?"

"Fine..." Jasina couldn't get what Arielle told her out of her mind, rubbing her temples because she couldn't focus on her article. "Shut the door, I need to tell you something."

Frowning, Trish did as Jasina asked, sitting down in front of the desk. "What's going on, Jasina? Besides you and Mark taking a break?" Steve told her everything and Mark apparently had been the biggest bear on the planet over the weekend.

Jasina just blurted out everything Arielle told her about Gary, reminding Trish who exactly he was, and made her swear not to say anything to Steve. "If Mark finds out...or when he does...I don't know what he's gonna do, Trish..."

"He's going to blow the fuck up and take all of us with him!" Trish yelped, even letting an F-bomb drop, which she generally did not do in the workplace if at all.

She could cuss with the best of them, but because of her impressionable young son, she had curbed her tongue a bit. This was an F-bomb occasion though. Her brown eyes were so wide they were about to roll right out of their sockets and into her lap.

"He doesn't even suspect she's been seeing Gary, or just a boy in general?"

Jasina shook her head while chewing on her thumbnail, standing up as she began pacing back and forth in the short space she had. "He doesn't even know Gary has been in the picture this ENTIRE time. I have NO idea what I'm gonna do, but I made her promise to wait until after her party. She said she loves him...and she's almost seventeen. If Mark blows up completely, he could lose her and I wasn't about to take that risk." Trish was absolutely right though, Mark was going to blow up and take all of them plus half of Texas with him. "If I were you, I would get out of Texas the day we tell him because it's going to be ALL bad."

"Maybe...you should kind of talk to him BEFORE the party?" Trish suggested, watching helplessly as Jasina paced a hole in the floor, hoping and praying she never had to go through this with her children. She couldn't even imagine what this was doing to Jasina right now, what with everything else that was going on in her life. "I'm not saying you should tell him about Gary, but find a way to prepare him for it? Let him know Arie is growing up and he has to accept some of the decisions she makes even if he doesn't like it so she won't cut him out of her life?"

"Have you lost your ever loving mind, preggo?" Jasina demanded, stopping her pacing to stare at her best friend with wide teal eyes that were full of fear and anxiety. "He'll automatically know something is up and with the rift between us right now, no that's just NOT a good idea. I don't want Arielle's car being taken away from her just because she's growing up and in love with...Gary." She had a hard time saying the guy's name, groaning even more. "He's twenty-one and she's going on seventeen, nothing I say about that is going to go over well. And if he does cut her out of his life or kick her out, she can always come stay with me." Jasina wasn't banking on that happening, but then again she knew Mark better than a lot of people. "I'm freaking out about this and her birthday party is THIS weekend."

Since she was now making plans to be on the other side of the world, in a bomb shelter underground, the day after Arielle's birthday, Trish could afford to feel even more sympathy for her friend. Able to read the worry and fear in Jasina's expressive eyes, Trish stood up, slowly moving over to hug her friend. "We have the rest of the week to sort this out, Jasina. We will think of something to tell him, or how to get through this. Have you tried asking Arielle to NOT get any more involved with Gary until she at least turns eighteen and is a legal adult?"

Jasina snorted derisively, sinking down in her chair as she buried her head in her hands, honestly not needing this added stress. "She reminded me she was going to college soon after her birthday, which is true because she's a grade ahead of everyone and she practically lives as an adult already." She couldn't deny any of those facts, which made this harder for Jasina. "And I just KNOW Mark is going to find some way to blame me for this." She grumbled, looking up when a knock sounded at her door, Randy walking in. "Trish, just shoot me in the head now please."

Cocking her fingers like a gun and aiming them at Jasina's head, Trish had a dry sense of humor. "Bang." She muttered just as Randy walked in. "Yes, Randy?"

He held out a newspaper, staring at Jasina intently, she looked like her night had not gone all that well and he felt his blood boiling, talking himself down to a slow simmer mentally. It had been several days since his confrontation with Mark, but Randy couldn't forget about it. Just the sight of Mark grabbing Jasina the way he did, Randy wanted to knock his teeth out.

"Landon has been formally charged and is now going to be executed in the electric chair."

"Congratulations, I'm throwing a party THIS WEEK." Before any of them died.

"That's too good for him. He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life and be raped by a fat sweaty guy named Bubba right in the ass." Jasina definitely wasn't in the mood for small chatter, tossing the paper on her desk and felt like going into the electric chair herself. "Trish, I need to talk to Randy alone about our next assignment." Trish nodded and walked out, looking paler than when she walked in, closing the door behind her. Once they were fully alone, Jasina could only stare at Randy and didn't know what to say to him, sighing. "I'm sorry about what happened the other night, Randy. You shouldn't have witnessed that and I'm embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be, he should however." Randy said flatly. He hadn't been about to bring any of that up, knowing she probably wanted to forget it ever happened, let alone remembering the fact that he had witnessed it. "Jasina, it's none of my business and you don't have to apologize to me for anything. I should be apologizing to you for stepping in." He took a deep breath, remembering Mark holding onto her wrists when she had told him more than once to let him go. "I don't like seeing a man put his hands on a woman when she doesn't want it, it's a weak and cowardly thing to do."

"He wasn't hurting me, he was stopping me from walking away from him like I always do." Jasina knew defending Mark would probably anger Randy further, but it was also honest. "He also has a jealousy problem and thought we were..." She lowered her eyes from his, knowing if she was in Mark's shoes he probably would've thought the same thing. "Anyway, everything is fine now and I moved out of his ranch and back into my apartment. Let's just forget it happened, okay?"

She sounded like a battered woman defending her abuser, but Randy knew instinctively Jasina was no abused woman, not physically at least. Emotionally, she looked torn to shreds. He wasn't sure if it all came from her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, whatever Mark was.

"If you want." Randy agreed, keeping his voice courteous and professional. "I'm taking a break from murder stories and doing some photography for the papers community section, so I won't need you unless you want to write a local piece. It's up to you, Jasina."

"I think I'll have to step back from this one. Still recovering from the last assignment." She waved the paper, which told him enough she hoped, smiling softly. "But when you have something that's worth going out in the field for, let me know and I'll be there." Jasina stated with a smile, ignoring her buzzing cell phone, pulling out a bottle of aspirin from her purse.

Arching an eyebrow at that, Randy just told her something worth going out into the field for: community. He didn't actually have a community of his own; he adopted local communities of wherever he was living and Houston had a very diverse ethnic group. So each day he was going to a different section to do photographs, it was some kind of festival in the Hispanic part of town and knew it would definitely be interesting to visit, not to mention he enjoyed taking pictures of things that weren't horrible, cruel and bloody.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later." Randy already had his camera strapped around his neck, having been taking interior pictures of the offices for some remodeling project Trish had been talking about. "If you change your mind...well no, you won't." Smiling slightly, the woman seemed to make her mind up only once.

Jasina was too distracted by what her daughter told her that she hadn't really heard Randy's offer, watching him walk out of her office. She couldn't go out in the field with him right now, not so soon after dealing with that fiasco, groaning. She hated this and felt horrible because Randy was trying to get her out of the office, but Jasina wasn't in the mood and knew Trish would understand.

What the hell was she going to do about Mark?

Jasina could already feel the tears prick her eyes and buried her head in her hands, finally letting a few slip down her cheeks. Arielle had stayed with her the entire weekend, so Jasina hadn't had the chance to release all the heartbreak and sadness she felt...until now. She couldn't help wondering if she made the right decision by breaking away from Mark, honestly believing she'd never find true love again.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Arielle found Randy Orton to be just as handsome as her mom had said.

Easy on the eyes, Randy had a great smile and an even better body. Plus he had taken some beautiful pictures. She had come up to the office after school and met him in the elevator. She accidentally bumped into him, knocking pictures out of his hand and helped him pick them up, introducing herself. Now she knew who he was and Randy had sat in the lobby with her to show her where he was all day, noting a picture of dark skinned Latino children running through a fountain with beautifully designed, multi-colored tiles glistening in the water and sun beneath their bare feet.

"Mom didn't go with you?" Arielle asked curiously, frowning when he shook his head. "Isn't she your partner?"

"Yes, but she had to catch up on her other work. She still has other responsibilities to the paper." Randy was sort of lying, but this was Jasina's daughter and she didn't need a stranger to say her Mom was having issues.

"Arielle, what are you doing here honey?" Jasina was shocked when she walked out of her office, only to spot Arielle talking to Randy, wondering how that happened and headed in their direction. "I thought I was picking you up from school?"

"Got out early...Mom, look at these photos Randy took!"

Jasina took them and began flipping through the beautiful photos, smiling because Randy had such a natural gift at this type of profession. "He's pretty talented eh?"

"Yeah! Don't be mad, I ran into him in the elevator on my way up to see you." Arielle explained with a grin, her emerald eyes shining with truth. "And you were right."

"About what sweetheart?"

"He IS easy on the eyes and has a nice body."

Jasina turned a deep crimson red, clearing her throat.

Randy shot a curious pleased look at Jasina, suddenly wondering what else she had said about him, but didn't even try to cajole anything out of her. Instead, he turned his attention back to the pictures, gathering them up and gave her a moment to lose the blush. Though he would be lying if he didn't at least admit to himself she really looked...cute all flustered like that.

"Arielle has a brilliant eye for detail, have you considered finding an internship for her as a photographer's assistant?" He inquired with another warm smile.

"What would an internship do for me?"

"Help cover college expenses."

Arielle perked up at that since her current scholarship covered MOST but not quite ALL of her first two years. "Really?"

"I didn't know you were interested in photography, Arie." Trish beamed, saddling up beside Jasina, having overheard the briefly discussion. "Do you have a portfolio ready?"

"Whoa now wait a minute, Arielle hasn't even decided where she's going to college at..."

"Actually I have, Mom." Arielle smiled softly. "I can't very well go to college away from home because I just got my Mom back like five years ago. It would be stupid to go away now, especially with what's going on with Dad lately."

Jasina couldn't help letting the guilt eat away at her, even though Arielle wasn't meaning to hurt her with what she said. "Your father will be fine if you decide to go further away from Houston and so would I..."

Arielle frowned. "You want me to go away?"

"No, of course not..."

"Arie could do classes at the local college if she hasn't quite yet decided on what she wants to major in." Trish suggested helpfully. "Or she could even do an internship for a year and then go when she's eighteen; her scholarship doesn't have to actually be used for another year."

"Arielle," Randy gently took her hand and gestured to look at him. "I was just making a suggestion, if you're not interested in photography, or you don't want to, you don't have to. I shouldn't have even said anything."

"I don't know what I'm interested in." Arielle said honestly, not having a major in mind yet. "I like taking pictures, is that enough for the internship?"

He smiled at her. "It can be."

"But an internship doesn't mean that's what I HAVE to be, right?"

"Right."

"This is sounding better and better..."

Randy and Trish talked with Arielle for a few more minutes, while Jasina just simply stood there gaping like a fish out of water. They were either oblivious to her reaction or didn't acknowledge it, too busy talking with Arielle about the internship. Jasina stood no chance against Trish, who was already planning on drawing up paperwork for the internship for Arielle to fill out. She also wondered if her best friend knew what she was doing or if it was the hormones from her pregnancy going haywire again.

"How the hell are we going to tell your father about Gary AND an internship with Randy, a man he nearly clocked a few nights ago?!"

Jasina was beside herself as they walked toward her car, looking as though she would either pass out or throw up, the anxiety building up in her stomach. Instead of waiting and letting Arielle think about this, Trish had her fill everything out for the internship before they could leave, making sure she would intern with both Randy and Jasina. Arielle did it for the simple fact that the internship would save a lot of money toward her college, thinking about her future and not her father's temper.

"Your father is going to explode and then take half of Texas with him when he finds out about Gary." She grumbled, ignoring Arielle's giggling, shaking her head. They slipped inside her car and Jasina pulled away from the newspaper office, heading toward the ranch at a slower speed than normal. "So you really want to do this internship at the office?"

"Yes," Arielle said firmly. "But just so you know, Trish only put you on the internship to keep you from totally losing it. Randy is my boss and I want to learn about photography." Though Trish had stipulated Randy was not to take Arielle out when he was working on anything that could be even remotely dangerous or else. Randy had agreed and Arielle personally liked him from what little she had seen of him and his photos. "If this can help cover part of my scholarship, I could have enough money left over for another year and I get paid so I can save that back to pay for the second year, which would mean I could have a bachelor's degree covered. This is a good thing Mom; Dad will understand that in a year or two."

"Yeah in a year or two." Jasina grumbled, raking a hand through her hair and was pretty sure she had several gray hairs sticking out or they were currently forming. "I know this is a good thing, I'm glad you like Randy. Told you."

She couldn't help smirking, seeing how well her daughter adapted to Randy and had a sinking feeling that wasn't going to go over well at all with Mark. He didn't like Randy and Randy felt the same way, but this wasn't about their macho egos. It was about Arielle's future, plain and simple. When they pulled up to the ranch, Jasina started shaking a little and cut the ignition, slowly stepping out of the car.

"Here goes nothing..."

"I'll tell him, you don't have to stick around." Arielle offered, seeing her mom visibly shaking and wondered if she really was that frightened of dad, frowning at the thought. Yeah he had a temper, but wouldn't hurt anyone…well, not them at least. "Mom, seriously, I got this. It's a job; he's been naggin' at me to get one for awhile now. It's only natural I work with at least ONE of my parents and he knows I don't have any interest in becoming a mechanic, or in cars, outside of drivin' them." It really looked like her Mom was about to either faint and vomit or vice versa. "Do you need to sit down for a minute?"

"No I'm fine and I'm not leaving you alone to tell him this. We'll do it together."

She clasped her hand in Arielle's, squeezing it gently and tried fighting back the nausea that suddenly erupted in her stomach. It wasn't just about Arielle interning with Randy in photography. It was the simple fact Jasina hadn't seen Mark since that night at his shop and she was about to tell him that their daughter was going to be working with the man he thought Jasina had screwed around with. They walked inside the ranch and Arielle immediately released her hand, Jasina staying by the door while Arielle went to go find her father.

Mark was in the kitchen, underneath the sink, fixing a leak that had damn near drowned him in water when he had come downstairs to simply start a pot of coffee. As it was, Mark had done a half-assed fix to last while he was at work and now was lying on the floor in nothing but a pair of cut off jean shorts that were wet all over. His upper body was under the cupboards with pieces of plastic and copper pipes surrounding him.

"In here, Arie!" He called from beneath the sink, trying to tighten the pipe.

Arielle headed for the kitchen. "I got a job."

"That's good darlin', where at?" He figured she meant a job like McDonald's or the skating ranch that normal teenagers did.

"The newspaper."

Jasina's eyes widened and she rushed inside the kitchen, not believing Arielle would just blurt something like this out. "It's an intern...ship..." Lord did the man always have to look drop dead sexy and gorgeous? Why the hell was he in skintight jean shorts that were soaked with no shirt on, rivulets of water running down his muscular chest and arms...Jasina had to mentally slap herself and advert her eyes to Arielle, who was grinning from ear to ear. "She's interested in photography after speaking with...one of our photographers." Did he really have to know it was Randy who was interning her?

Maybe they didn't have to tell Mark EVERYTHING.

Arielle caught onto what her Mom was doing and knew she was going to have to play the innocent act later on when her Dad decided to press for more information, unless he started doing that right now. Not knowing if her Dad was aware that Randy was a photographer as well as an undercover investigator for the newspaper, all Arielle could think was this internship was best for her education, which is all that mattered. If her father couldn't put aside his differences with Randy, that was his problem, but Arielle was doing what she felt best for her future. So if she had to be selfish, that's what was going to happen. She kept her smile hitched on her face as he slid out onto the kitchen floor and sat upright, giggling when he pulled a clump of wet hair out of his eyes and shoved it back.

"Who's she interning under?"

"Eve Torres." Arielle answered before her Mom could; it was a lie, but Eve did do photography of sorts with a one-time use camera from what Trish had said.

"Eve IS a photographer, but that's not who she's interning under. Don't lie to your father, Arielle." Jasina chastised softly, though she did step in front of Arielle in case Mark decided to toss the wrench he currently held in their direction. "Before I tell you who it is, I want to make it clear that I had no idea Arielle was interested in photography and I had NO idea she was coming to see me at work today. I was in my office the whole time and when I walked out, she was sitting there talking and looking at the photographs. Then Trish walked up and it all snowballed from there. She'll be interning with me as well." She still hadn't answered his question and knew she was babbling, feeling Arielle peek around her to stare at her father with those mirrored green eyes.

"It's Randy Orton, Dad. You know the guy Mom is partnered up with for her job?"

"Excuse me?" He didn't throw the wrench, but it did slip out of his fingers as he pushed himself to his feet, careful to avoid slipping in the water that still slicked the floor.

"Well, actually, Mom's mostly on the internship because Trish knew she would throw a fit about me interning with Randy, which wasn't her idea by the way. It was mine and don't you dare start hollerin' at her either."

Mark just couldn't win and his face went as red as a cherry, not hollering. Instead, he swallowed everything he wanted to bellow. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Arielle would be devastated if she heard or even knew just a third of what he was really thinking.

"Arielle, let me talk to him for a few minutes alone." Jasina requested, watching Arielle's eyebrow slowly rise and nodded encouragingly. "Don't worry; I just wanna talk to him about this privately. You go get your homework done and whatever else you need to do." Jasina winked and kissed the top of Arielle's head, watching her walk off down the hallway after shooting her father one warning glare, looking exactly like Jasina at the moment minus the eye color. "You're not happy with this and I understand why, but this is a great opportunity for her. And I have no idea why you don't like Randy because he hasn't done ANYTHING wrong. He saw you grab me and thought he was defending me, but I explained to him you didn't hurt me or anything. Arielle somehow ran into him while she was coming to my office and they ended up talking about his photography and he asked her if she'd looked into internships. He's spectacular at what he does and Trish got involved, you know how she is. I couldn't even get a word in; Trish was already having her sign papers and just assured me everything would work out. So go ahead, blow your stack and scream at me, I know you want to, especially since you look like a damn cherry right now." Jasina explained, folding her arms in front of her chest and hoped Arielle was out of earshot for what she knew was coming.

For a moment, Mark wanted to do just that, blow his stack. Instead, he smirked evilly at her, swallowing it all back down and returned to what he was doing before the interruption, moving back beneath the counter. "I don't think I'll give you the satisfaction of 'blowing my stack and screaming at you', Jasina." He rumbled, going back to work on his sink. She thought he was going to explode and freak out on her. In truth, he wanted to, but wouldn't, not yet anyway. He might just save it for Randy 'I want to be a Hero' Orton. "So what are the particulars of this internship?"

"I don't think I'll give you the satisfaction of telling you the details." Of course Mark didn't want to be friends or even try to be civil; Jasina didn't expect anything less from him. "Call Trish or ask Arielle if you want to know. I have more important things to do than stand here talking to you. Good night, Calaway." Jasina shot back in a sweet voice, turning on her heel and walked right out of the ranch, shutting the door behind her.

She knew Mark was saving his rage for something bigger and shook her head, deciding she wouldn't need to stop Randy from beating his ass. Randy wasn't a small man by any means and if Mark wanted to fight him, who was Jasina to stop it from happening? It was ridiculous and immature, but she also knew Mark wasn't the brightest crayon in the box metaphorically speaking. Pulling out of the driveway, Jasina headed home with a small smile, deciding she wasn't going to let Mark's attitude put her down.

As far as Mark was concerned, he had just pulled a Jasina move and kept his opinions to himself. He knew she didn't had more important things to do, he had just pissed her off and hurt her feelings. If she had other important things to do, she would never have come inside with Arielle. She had wanted to make sure he took everything alright and not blown up on Arielle.

"Women..." He muttered, deciding for now he was going to wait things out for Arielle's sake.

However, if Randy Orton even gave him a hint of a reason to beat his ass, he was taking it and also made a mental note to slap Steve since he still couldn't hit Trish.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Mind if I kill Mark?"

Jasina blinked at her best friend, tilting her head slightly. "Nope, by all means go for it." She replied with a smile, feeling better than she had in days. "Where should I send flowers?"

It was Trish's turn to blink and raise an eyebrow, grunting. "He slapped Steve at work today, you should SEE the red mark on his damn head!" They were busy preparing for the party that Trish set up, which was after work naturally, and at Emerald City. She rented out the back room and they were currently hanging up some decorations. "You think this is too much?"

"Nope." Jasina lied, wearing a strapless blue tank dress that went to her knees with black flats, refusing to dress up for this little gathering. She didn't want to hurt Trish's feelings either, being pregnant and all. "It's just right."

"Liar."

"Everything I wear...makes me look larger…I got a giant hot air balloon for a stomach and two overly large watermelons for breasts...not that I mind that part, minus the leaking issue." Trish sighed, staring forlornly at the outfit she wasn't going to wear now. "Anyway, apparently Mark slapped Steve because he won't hit me. So...he's mad at me for what reason exactly? Other than I have bigger balls of course." Trish didn't take kindly to her husband-to-be being slapped by anyone except her and honestly didn't know what she had done to piss Mark off.

"He's pissed about Arielle's internship because she has to work with Randy." Jasina rolled her eyes, scoffing as she stepped down from the small stool, nodding at her streamer work. "Honestly, he's a jealous asshole who thinks there's something going on between me and Randy."

"Why does he think that and, more importantly, what business is it of his?"

Jasina sighed and explained to Trish what happened at the bar a few nights ago, when Randy invited her out for a few celebratory drinks because they had helped solve a huge murder mystery that had been going on for over a year in Houston. "Mark was so pissed when Randy pulled me away from him, but he should've let me go when I told him to. He's an overbearing, stupid prick. Randy was only doing what he thought was best, he's not a bad guy, yet Mark thinks there's something more to it." Taking a deep breath, Jasina didn't want to get herself fired up again over her ex-boyfriend/husband.

"Trish, do you want me to let the caterers in through the front or the back?" Eve demanded, running into the room, wearing a smock over her party dress and her make-up only half done. She had been posting the 'private party' signs and streamers out in the parking lot. "Randy's here by the way with a camera."

"Brilliant. Tell them to go in the back and warn him if takes ANY pictures of me from the side, I'll fire him."

"Alright." Eve zoomed right back out.

"Mark's a moron, he needs to get his head on straight if he wants you back." Trish said, as if they were never interrupted.

Trish never seemed to amaze her as Jasina giggled, loving her take no prisoner's attitude. "Like you would ever fire Randy." She watched as Trish smirked, wondering if the woman was serious. "You look beautiful pregnant, stop that. And as far as Mark is concerned, it'll take a miracle for us to be together at this point."

"Miracles occur every day, so... we'll see. Is Arielle coming? I invited her." Trish twirled, taking in the room; Jasina had done everything that Trish couldn't, which was quite a bit though Trish was the one paying for everything- along with the newspaper- and she had hired a clean-up crew for afterwards. She didn't want any of her employee's, especially Jasina to end the night on a depressing, cleaning note.

"Don't move, Trish." Randy said as he strolled in, already taking pictures, smiling brightly. "You ever consider having pictures taken of your stomach?"

"I beg your pardon?" Her brown eyes narrowed.

"There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is carrying a new life inside of her and professional photographs are a great way to capture that moment forever." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just was wondering."

She was now considering it. "So, about Arie?"

"I think she is, though she might be bringing Mark...unfortunately." She held her hand up when Trish's eyes narrowed, keeping the smile on her face and this time it reached her eyes. "Just leave it be for now and enjoy tonight, if he starts anything, he'll simply be thrown out."

"Face first."

Jasina nodded, walking up to stand beside Trish, tossing an arm around her shoulders. "Hi Randy, great idea by the way on the pregnancy photography. I think you should do it, you know Steve thinks you're the sexiest when you're pregnant anyway."

She winked at Randy when Trish blushed, walking away to get some punch. When Trish looked at Randy expectantly, he had no idea what she wanted; he liked the woman and admired her as a businesswoman, but had discovered she was very hormonal and prone to sudden weird mood swings.

"I'm not going to say you're sexy because I like my job and don't want to be fired for sexual harassment, but you are very beautiful."

"I knew I liked you for a reason. I'm going to go make sure everything is ready, people are going to be arriving soon. Get me some punch would you?"

He had no idea she had sent him Jasina's way on purpose.

Jasina smiled softly when Randy joined her at the punch table, fixing the cups because someone had toppled them over, probably Eve in her hasty escape to follow Trish's orders. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for Arielle. It was kind of you to offer." She said, grabbing two cups and handed him one, pouring herself some because she was incredibly thirty.

It was a mango/strawberry mixed flavor that Jasina's taste buds instantly agreed with.

"She's a sweet kid, she was in the office yesterday morning to fill out a bit more paperwork and learn what's required of her. I think she called herself my apprentice." Randy chuckled, filling Trish's cup and then turned to look for her, blinking when he didn't see her anywhere. That was rather fast moving for a pregnant woman of her...delicate size. "I'm doing snapshots of different churches over the city, she's going with me." He wasn't making it a question because he wasn't asking Jasina's permission, but letting her know because first and foremost, she was Arielle's mother and secondly, her name was on the paperwork.

"Sounds great, there's a lot of beautiful historical churches around Houston." Jasina appreciated Randy informing her of what he had planned for the internship, but she wanted to make it clear to him that she trusted him wholeheartedly. "I trust your judgment, Arielle is learning from the best."

She sipped more punch while Randy tried controlling his blushing from her compliment. It was great turning the tables on him and Jasina excused herself to make sure everything else was set for the party. If even one thing was wrong, Trish would throw a fit. Randy watched her walk away, trying not to admire how beautiful his partner was and immediately went to go snap more photos of the decorations, knowing Trish wanted every moment captured possible.

Mark was only attending this party because of Arielle, wanting him to try accepting everything and get along. That and he wasn't about to let his baby go off to some adult party, even if her mother was there. He knew Jasina could take care of their almost adult child, but...no.

He had even allowed Arielle to dress him, though he drew the line at a tie, wearing black slacks and dress shoes he hadn't known he possessed along with a forest green button up shirt, leaving the collar open. Mark felt stiff enough in the form fitting clothes. Arielle looked more like a woman than a kid and he didn't know how he felt about that.

Arielle had put on some glitzy dress that he was pretty sure she had worn to the prom, only she had altered it, removing chiffon to make it more sleek. He hadn't let her wear the high heels she had wanted, instead forcing her to find a pair of flats that matched the dress. All things considered, Arielle forgave him as she was looked around excitedly, trying not to show it too much though and gave a casual wave when she spotted Randy.

Jasina turned and grinned at the sight of her daughter, watching her wave to Randy, not able to help smiling. Arielle had definitely taken to Randy, refusing to let her smile falter at the sight of Mark. So he had shown up. She knew exactly why he came and fought back rolling her eyes as she finished straightening out the final table. That and she couldn't allow herself to admire the color of shirt Mark wore because it brought his eyes out.

"Hey Arie." She greeted when they finally made it to her, hugging her daughter close and then nodded curtly at Mark with a smile. "Mark." Her eyes immediately turned back to Arielle, Randy walking up beside her. "Randy told me about your first project and I can't wait to see the results."

"It's not my project; I don't get projects, Mom, this isn't school." Arielle laughed, shaking her head. "I get to follow him around all day, lug his stuff, bring him coffee and take notes. What was that you said about me and cameras?"

"You don't get to touch anything except a disposable until you learn how to properly use a real camera."

"What about digitals?"

"We're not counting those." Randy said, teasingly. "She'll be learning how to look for detail mostly for awhile and when we're in the office, how to use a camera properly, and take care of it."

"And a darkroom, to develop pictures."

"That too."

She really was taken with Randy and Randy seemed patient with her…that just made Mark hate him even more.

"You're going to be involved and I'm proud of you." Jasina beamed with glittering teal eyes, knowing Randy wouldn't take it easy on Arielle and she knew her daughter could handle anything thrown her way. "I still can't wait, you're going to learn so much. Sorry, I'm having a mommy moment, forgive me."

She winked when Arielle just rolled her eyes and pulled Randy away to talk more about the internship. All Jasina could do was laugh softly, completely ignoring the brooding Mark in front of her as she waved at Steve who was walking in with Trish. Trish promptly stepped on Mark's foot as soon as she was near him with the spiked heel of her shoes, smiling sweetly when he let out a muffled curse.

"If you have any more problems, address them to me." She said in a saccharine voice.

"You got it, darlin'." Mark groaned, trying not to raise his foot to hold it, that heel had not felt good at all.

Steve smirked, having every intention of reminding Mark of this moment for a long time to come, payback was a bitch.

"Steve, I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever." Jasina said by way of greeting, hugging him around the neck and kissed his cheek. "How are you besides the obvious?" She eyeballed Mark briefly before turning her attention back to him.

"Goin' good honey. Shop is really kickin' off and..." His voice lowered a little to where only the four individuals could hear. "Got the SUV done for you know who."

"Good, I was wondering about that." That was a load off Jasina's mind, though she had her own gifts, knowing it was all Mark. "I know she'll simply love it."

"No doubt, well I need a beer, catch ya'll later." He felt Trish tug on his arm, growling. "Woman..."

"What was that Steven?"

Steve immediately changed his tone, smiling. "I love you."

"I know."

It was a damn good thing Steve was head over heels in love with Trish or else Mark would say he was whipped. Actually, Steve was whipped, but he was happily whipped so it worked out. He glanced towards Arielle, who was very obviously monopolizing Randy's attention, noting the other man was allowing it before looking down at Jasina.

"You look nice." He complimented, a bit more gruffly than he had intended.

"Thanks, so do you." Jasina was a little surprised by his politeness, but wasn't going to spend all of her time around him, wanting to enjoy herself tonight. "Enjoy yourself, Mark."

She walked away leaving him standing there, deciding a beer was in order while she greeted other people who worked for the newspaper. Not once did she look over at Mark and Jasina couldn't help giggling at Arielle's captivity of Randy. Arielle was going to have that man wrapped around her little finger in no time, Jasina simply knew it and finished her beer.

The minute Trish came around, Randy politely passed Arielle off onto her, hoping he wasn't overly obvious about it, but he had to piss and take a breather. The kid could talk when she was in the mood. After using the restroom, he came out and spotted Arie dancing with Steve and moved over to stand by the wall with his camera in hand, beginning to snap photos.

He caught Jasina exchanging pleasantries with Eve, which meant she was trying not to rip her hair out because Eve was all out insanely perky tonight, bless her annoying heart. Randy began taking pictures, smiling when Jasina looked directly at him. Jasina saw him snapping a picture of her and shot him a playful glare, heading in his direction.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She demanded, sighing when he snapped an up-close picture and rolled her eyes, wondering if he would ever put the camera down to have a little fun. "Alright that's it." Very carefully, Jasina took his camera away and set it down, taking both of his hands in hers as she backtracked toward the dance floor, feeling good after two beers. "Come on, just one dance and then you can get back to your camera."

That and if he didn't save her from Eve, she would strangle him with the camera cord.

"Why do I get the feeling you're just using me to save yourself from Miss Torres?" Randy demanded playfully, smirking when she gave him a knowing grin. "Body language, and of course, that 'I'll fuck you up if you don't help me' look you had on your face." He let Jasina arrange them on the dance floor so she was comfortable, before taking the lead. "As for what I was doing...I was taking pictures of a beautiful woman, I thought that would have been obvious."

Her cheeks instantly flamed, moving with Randy swiftly on the dance floor, the smile on her face lighting up the entire room. "I am using you to save me from perkiness, forgive me, but I also don't want you working at a party that is honoring both of us for what we did." Jasina had her hands on his shoulders, the thin material doing absolutely nothing to hide his muscular body and Jasina actually enjoyed his arms wrapping around her waist.

Randy was being a complete gentleman.

"Hey, we're newspaper people/investigative journalists, we're always working." Randy teased, briefly pressing his forehead to hers before moving back out of her space, never stopping dancing. "We're always looking for the next story...and I think I have one." When she gave him a curious look, his smile faded slightly. "Why is the most beautiful woman in this room, the one woman who should truly be happy with herself right now, seem so sad when she thinks nobody is looking?"

Jasina heaved a sigh, knowing putting up a cheerful front would never work with Randy, staring up into his blue eyes. "No idea. She wants to be happy and she is when it comes to her job. But when she's at home alone, she can't help wondering where it all went wrong and if she didn't do enough to be fully wanted." Her voice had gone soft to where only he could hear her, chewing her bottom lip. "She thought nobody could tell she was sad and didn't know someone was watching either."

"I'm watching you when I shouldn't be, Jasina." He admitted in a whisper, not understanding why he was so attracted to her other than the obvious reasons.

Lord knew he had tried to fight it, to maintain the professionalism between them, at the most a casual friendship. However, Jasina was not only beautiful and intelligent but brave, very brave, and had spirit, an inner fire, that he had seen trampled down yet never extinguished. He hadn't even known her that long, which was the scariest part about his intense attraction.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"I don't think it was anything you did so much as what he didn't do." Randy knew that was overstepping his boundaries, but...he wasn't on Mark's side or advocate either.

He was such a sweet man and said all the right truthful things...things that she needed to hear to reassure her that she made the right decision by cutting things off with Mark. It wasn't just a break, they had really parted ways and it hurt Jasina to say the least. Randy was absolutely right, Mark hadn't done what she wanted and if she had to spell everything out for the brute, then there was no future for them.

"I don't want to be sad anymore." Jasina confessed, glad no tears had welled in her eyes and that was simply because she wanted to enjoy tonight, feeling Randy's arms tighten around her a little. She wanted to be happy again and wondered if she ever would be without Mark in her life, trying to adapt to the lonely nights again. "And what about you, Randy? You deserve to be happy just like me and I know you're lonely. So why aren't you doing something about it?"

Randy considered that for a moment, staring down at her thoughtfully, aware the song had changed. He led her into a different dance, a little faster on the tempo, though they both easily navigated it. She felt...perfect in his arms and knew he wouldn't mind in the least if this was a regular thing eventually. He had to give her time though, Randy was a very patient man and would wait as long as it took, unless someone else caught his eye.

"Because I'm waiting on the woman I want to be ready to give happiness a chance again." Randy answered honestly, knowing they had officially crossed a line there was no turning back from.

The line definitely had been crossed and Jasina could only keep dancing with him, knowing exactly which woman he was talking about. When Randy pulled her back against him during the dance, Jasina knew she had to say something, those beautiful blue eyes devouring her. She felt it from the first day he walked into her office, the intense connection and chemistry, which she hadn't felt with any man besides Mark before.

"I'll let you know when she's ready to make the jump." Jasina whispered, her mouth right by his ear and felt him twirl her, feeling her heart racing rapidly from what he said and the dance they were currently in.

Randy knew that wasn't a definitive answer, but it was a step in the right direction and he'd take it. He finished the dance before kissing the top of her hand, looking over her head. Trish was eyeballing him and Randy knew he still had a job to do as far as taking pictures, hoping Jasina understood and didn't think he was running away from her.

"I would love nothing more than another dance, but Trish is making what she thinks is a good miming gesture for snapping pictures and looks like she now wants to gossip with you." Randy said penitently, giving her a head's up so she could go hide if she wanted.

Mark was dancing with Arielle now, a smile on his face though his eyes were anything but amused, not having missed the physical exchange between his now ex-wife/girlfriend and her co-worker.

"Thanks, save another dance for me." Jasina kissed his cheek before making her way off the dance floor, not heading toward Trish but the punch bowl instead, her throat incredibly dry.

"So..."

"What?" Jasina couldn't stop smiling, feeling as though she was on a cloud and leaned against the wall, sipping her punch so she didn't choke it down. "He was working and I felt bad since this party is supposed to be about both of us."

"Uh huh and..."

"He's definitely a great dancer..." And probably a great lover too, Jasina added in thought, fanning herself since being that close to Randy had definitely increased her body temperature a few notches.

Trish hadn't missed Jasina fanning herself, arching one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, brown eyes sparkling with amusement and a smile twitching the corners of her lips. "Just a dance, hmm? You two looked...quite...cozy, intimate one might say." She looked completely innocent when teal eyes locked onto her, trying desperately not to smile much. "You know, he is a great dancer. You know what they say about men who can dance, right? That if they're good on a dance floor, then they're even better...in other arenas." Trish could not for the life of her keep from waggling her eyebrows suggestively, though refrained from chuckling when Jasina seemed to speculate on that. "Just some food for thought..."

"I know exactly what you're saying, evil wench." Jasina muttered good-naturedly, not able to be angry at her friend for trying to help her get through a very hard time in her life.

Jasina appreciated everything Trish did, but she would go to Randy in her own time if she chose doing so. Sleeping with someone she worked with...Jasina wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but she definitely wouldn't mind another dance with Randy. Finishing off her punch, Jasina tossed the cup in the garbage and headed off to talk to other people.

Randy was busy doing two things: taking pictures of the festivities for a piece in the newspaper, as well as Trish's company scrapbook, web site and bulletin board. The second thing he was doing was avoiding Mark, who was subtly stalking him throughout the room, Arielle now in the restroom. Randy wasn't afraid of Mark by any means, but wasn't about to get into a pissing contest in front of his co-workers, or intern, either.

"I don't have a problem with you." Randy stated with a resigned sigh when he was finally cornered.

"I have one with you son, a major problem, but this ain't the place for it." Mark said coldly, his venomous eyes raking Randy callously. "I'm just warnin' you right now, if one HAIR on my daughter's head is out of place when she comes home tomorrow, I'm holdin' you personally responsible. Got me, boy?"

"Yes. Anything else, old man?" Randy shot back scathingly, blue eyes turning to ice.

There was a lot else, old man his ass, Mark snorted and knew this wasn't the time or the place for anything he wanted to do to Randy Orton. Mark knew he was being irrational, but when it came to Jasina and Arielle he didn't have a rational bone in his body. Cracking his neck, he turned and forced himself to walk away, trying to get the image of how cozy Randy and Jasina looked on the dance floor earlier.

Randy purposefully took a snapshot of the other man walking away, smirking. "Best part about seeing you," He muttered, loud enough to where Mark could hear. "Is seeing you back the fuck off." He knew what Mark's problem was, but it wasn't HIS problem the man hadn't been smart enough to hold onto his woman.

"Mark, how bout we go outside for some fresh air, man?" Steve had overheard Randy's crack and could see the fire erupt in Mark's eyes, pulling his best friend out of the bar. "Come on, I'll get you a beer."

He nodded at Trish, telling her silently if he didn't get Mark away from Randy now, all hell would break loose at her party, practically shoving a growling grumbling Mark out the door. Trish breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to her fiancé and smiled at more guests, glad the party was a success. She was also relieved to see that Jasina was too busy talking with Evan, one of the reporters of the newspaper and nodded, completely oblivious to what happened between Mark and Randy…or so Trish thought.

In truth, Jasina had watched Mark follow Randy around the room, groaning inwardly and fought back the urge to interfere with them, deciding Randy could handle it. She probably would've laughed had she heard Randy call Mark an old man and simply headed over toward the bar, requesting another beer. It was actually kind of...cute watching how jealous Mark was, Jasina knew it wasn't just about Arielle and also knew Mark had watched her every move with Randy on that dance floor.

Once outside, Steve was having one hell of a time calming Mark down, groaning. "Now I heard what that cocky shit said to you, but-" Steve blocked Mark from stepping back into the building. "If you go in there and beat the shit out of him, you know yer gonna piss off Jasina, not to mention MY future wife, and you'll scare Arie too and piss her off. Do you want that?"

Steve had already decided if Mark tried to slap him again, all bets were off. He wasn't a punching bag for anyone except his future wife and only when she was knocked up with his baby. Nodding, Mark closed his eyes and pressed his face against the wall of the building, taking a deep breath, knowing Steve was right.

Chuckling, she sipped her beer and looked around the room in amusement, nodding at a few people who passed by congratulating her on an outstanding job. Jasina noticed out of the corner of her eye Steve shoving Mark out the door, knowing the exchange between him and Randy couldn't have gone down well. She sighed, hating that Mark couldn't look past his own ego for two seconds to realize that Randy wasn't the enemy. His jealousy and animosity wasn't winning him any points and she knew Arielle would be furious if she saw the exchange go down between them.

Didn't Mark ever once think about others instead of himself?

"Mom, where's Dad?"

"Outside with Steve." Jasina answered promptly, watching her take off out the door, shaking her head almost sadly.

They were never going to reach solid ground.

"Everything alright, Dad?" Arielle asked when she had spotted her Dad and Steve, watching as he pulled himself off the wall he had leaning against.

"I'm just tired, darlin', you know how I am at parties."

Mark smiled at her, lying through his teeth mostly. He wasn't tired so much as drained and did hate parties, though he had come tonight for her. Only to apparently get back-talked by a boy who probably didn't need to shave yet.

"Trish is about to make her speech, about Mom and Randy's job well done, you guys should head inside."

"We'll be right there, honey." Steve assured with a smile of his own.

Nodding and looking unsure, Arielle headed back inside, wondering what had her father in an uproar and sighed heavily.

When Jasina and Randy were both called to center stage, she could already feel her cheeks reddening slightly, linking her arm through Randy's. She'd had four beers and some food, Jasina was good to go as a few cameras flashed at them, glad she chose to wear flats. For once, she didn't have Mark in her mind as Trish began her speech, watching as Arielle walked in along with Steve and Mark, keeping the smile on her face. Randy did deserve most of the credit, but knowing Trish she was going to make it even.

"As you all know, I hired Randy about a month ago actually," Trish grinned broadly and smugly. "I stole his contract and it was worth every penny. He teamed up with Jasina and they went undercover together. Within ONE month of being here, and working together, Randy and Jasina managed to not only discover the murderer of twenty unsolved murders within the past few years alone, but because of their work and evidence, they were able to get him caught and put on death row, giving justice to the victim's families."

Randy's ears were turning red. He liked receiving credit for his work, but Trish was gushing, something he wasn't used to.

Accepting the microphone from Trish, Jasina stepped forward and swallowed down the butterflies in her stomach. "If it wasn't for Randy, I definitely wouldn't have learned as much as I have and I can't thank him enough for the opportunity." She added, applauding along with everyone else and giggled at Randy's flushing, especially when his cute ears turned red.

Why did that suddenly turn her on?

Jasina pushed that in the far recesses of her mind, walking over to pull Arielle over to them, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Mom..." Arielle groaned, knowing what her mother was about to do, flushing already just like Randy.

"And thanks to pure generosity from both Trish and Randy, I would like to announce that my wonderful, beautiful smart daughter is going to be interning at the newspaper in photography with Randy." Jasina announced proudly, another round of applause sounding and beamed at Trish, glad she allowed her to be the one who announced Arielle joining their incredible team.

Randy actually felt bad for Arielle, who looked ready to sink into a puddle of goo, slip into a crack and disappear, gathering she was like her father on that scope, not keen on the attention unless he was demanding it. When Jasina let her go, he allowed Arie to hide behind him, shrugging good-naturedly when that got a round of laughter. Arielle was red as a cherry and couldn't believe her mother just did that, scowling.

"You alright back there, kid?" He whispered to where only she could hear.

"I think I'm going to drop dead now, thanks." Arielle muttered, not amused.

Randy grinned at Jasina, glad she was enjoying her mommy moment.

They were presented with an award from the mayor of Houston, who announced that it was due to their outstanding skills and bravery that they were given an award for excellent community service. Having brought down one of Houston's top criminals, Jasina and Randy had given all those poor defenseless women some sort of justice. Jasina held her plaque while Randy held his, both of them having pictures snapped separately and together.

Once that was over, everyone went back to drinking and having a great time, Arielle being swarmed with everyone from the newspaper that didn't know she would be joining them, excited for her opportunity with Randy. Jasina set her plaque down and got another beer, laughing when the bartender said it was on the house to one of the heroes, waving Randy over to claim his free beverage of choice. Randy gestured for him to hold on and moved to the guy who had snapped the pictures, striking up a conversation with him.

Hating to do this, but knowing there wasn't a choice, by the time Randy was done with the conversation, the film was ruined and the poor guy would have no clue until he went to develop the pictures. He had specifically told Trish he didn't want his picture or name in the paper concerning this deal because then he'd be recognized the next time he tried it. Randy wasn't going to get killed for being something akin to a snitch or Jasina for that matter.

Jasina stayed for another hour and finally decided to call it a night, having a bottle of wine and soothing bubble bath with her name on it waiting for her. She hugged Trish goodbye along with a few other people, seeing Randy was busy talking to someone, deciding against interrupting. She reminded Arielle that she was staying the night tomorrow because they had to finalize things for her birthday party.

It was going to be awkward having it at the ranch, but Jasina was still looking forward to it, refusing to let Mark ruin anything. Heading out with her plaque in hand and a smile on her face, Jasina fought back a yawn, heading toward her car. Mark had wanted to congratulate on Jasina, knowing how proud she was of her accomplishment and, truth be told, he was proud of her himself.

How did he go up to her and say the words without them sounding condescending though?

Not to mention she might've even blown him off in front of all these people. Mark wasn't sure if he could handle her publically rejecting him on top of ending their relationship...two…no three times in the past few months. Not to mention his blood was still boiling from his altercation with Randy Orton. Instead, Mark just smiled and congratulated Trish on her crew before ushering Arielle out, informing her she had a job, which meant sleeping eventually, leaving with her whining at him.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Arielle's first day on the job with Randy went smoothly with no problems and no marks anywhere on her. Mark made sure of it when Jasina dropped her off, both of them exchanging maybe five words before Jasina went home. That's how it went for the next few weeks with Jasina dropping Arielle off after her interning and Mark checking her over.

Arielle finally got tired of her father's overprotective ways and stormed away from him, after calling him a jackass to his face. Jasina was stunned while Mark simply stood there dumbfounded, but from that day forward Mark never looked her over again, not even acknowledging Jasina. Arielle basically became the messenger between her and her parents, though she didn't overly mind.

It was getting a little easier as the days passed and soon Jasina wouldn't feel anything for him, she was sure of it. The more she saw Mark, the way he was and how he acted, the more confident she felt in her decision to end things with him. Randy hadn't mentioned anything more about wanting to be with her, knowing she needed time to heal and Jasina appreciated his patience.

Before anyone knew it, Arielle's party had arrived and Jasina decided on a silver dress that had one strap over the shoulder with nothing on the other. It stretched across her chest and hugged her figure nicely, going one and a half inch above the knee. The dress went to her knees with two inch heels, simple diamond studs in her ears and silver necklace with a circular diamond stone attached. Her hair was half up and half down with a silver glittering clip on the top and Jasina knew it would need cut again soon, but wasn't worried about it. She had clear gloss on her lips and smoky eyes, foundation to hide any blemishes to finish off her look.

Grabbing her keys and purse, Jasina headed out of the apartment, not wanting to be late and already knew the event planner was already at the ranch setting things up. She stopped to momentarily stare at Randy's car, frowning, wondering if she should've invited him to be her date for the party. It was for the best right now because of how Mark's temper was, Jasina refused to let him destroy her golden birthday and got in her car, driving away. When she arrived, Jasina pulled on the side of the ranch in the road instead of in the driveway and stepped out, heading toward the garage since it was open.

It was going to be unforgettable, Jasina could barely hide her excitement for Arielle, who decided to dress up for the occasion since she was turning seventeen and it was her golden birthday, all in one. They had catered the food in, all of Arielle's favorites. Jasina decided on all different shades of purple for the decorations, making it elegant and sophisticated instead of childish.

Surprisingly enough, Mark hadn't gotten involved in the décor because he was man enough to admit he didn't know the first thing about prepping a party. Even when Arielle was a little girl, he relied on Toni's mother, Lashonna, to help him with the décor, only for him to wind up on balloon duty. It was hard to believe that the décor had gone from Barbie and cowgirls to stylish shades of purple, the classiness almost making Mark's chest hurt. He wanted his little girl back who enjoyed her pink cowgirl boots and hat, who enjoyed working with him at the shop and climbed trees.

His little tomboy had turned into a woman almost overnight.

Mark surveyed his property and house with a skeptical eye. The place looked good, no doubt about that, but he wasn't entirely pleased at the large purple bows decorating the bay door of his garage. He had even found one on his favorite Harley and didn't know which woman to beat for it: Arie or Jasina. Knowing neither would fess up to it and both would be perfectly happy to do it if they wouldn't get caught.

He skipped the black slacks, opting for skintight blue jeans and a black shirt that he had rolled up at the sleeves and left un-tucked, a buttoned up shirt, which he was only now bothering to fasten. A platform for dancing had been erected in the backyard, a fence installed around the pool, also decorated in purple, and a DJ who had just finished setting up. It was going to be a zoo; Jasina had somehow convinced Arielle to invite all of her classmates from high school instead of having a quiet dinner with close friends and family.

It looked fantastic, Jasina was very pleased with the party planner she personally hired -Mark didn't need to know everything-, grinning from ear to ear and stopped at the sight of Mark. "Where's Arielle?" She asked politely, saving her breath for nonchalant greetings because they definitely weren't friends, dealing with each other for Arielle's sake. She smiled softly when he pointed toward the door that lead into the ranch, immediately heading in that direction, her heels clicking against the concrete asphalt. "Arie?" She called out, heading straight for the kitchen, the caterers busy at work, carrying several birthday gifts.

Mark followed behind her when he heard Arielle from upstairs ask for just a minute, his kitchen and living room also decorated to the nines and waited at the foot of the steps. Arielle had specifically stated she didn't want him up there until she was ready. When he heard her coming, Mark took his eyes off her mother, who was looking gorgeous in her silver dress and upwards, hitching a sharp deep breath. Arielle smiled nervously at them as she carefully made her way down the stairs, wearing a pair of high heels, finally, that matched her party gown perfectly and it wasn't anything flouncy or made of chiffon like her prom dress had been. She had done her make-up and styled her hair, looking back and forth between her parents.

"Well?" She breathed anxiously.

"You look INCREDIBLE!" Jasina murmured softly at the beautiful pale lavender color, which really made Arielle's eyes stand out, clasping her hands together over her dropped jaw, tears forming in her eyes. "Our baby girl is all grown up." She walked past Mark, who couldn't move from his spot, taking Arielle's hands as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "It's perfect, sweetheart." Unbeknownst to Mark, Arielle had invited Gary to her party and knew she wouldn't recognize him because there were a lot of people from her school invited so they would mix...Jasina hoped anyway. "Come on, I want to show you around, Misty did an EXCELLENT job."

Jasina seemed quite content in monopolizing Arielle and not giving him a moment to just adore his daughter, so he sat down on the stair steps, hearing them chattering as Jasina showed Arielle the party set-up. Where had the time gone? He could remember giving her baths in the kitchen sink when she was a baby, her first tooth, first step, first day of school. Mark still had the first picture she had drawn him on her first day of school with her block printed signature at the bottom and now she was seventeen years old, working an internship, preparing to go to college in a year...He needed a moment alone, it was good that Jasina had taken Arielle out because he honestly felt like he might shed a tear or two.

"Mark, do you have-" Jasina stopped short of what she was going to ask when she heard him sniffling, watching him hastily get to his feet, not facing her.

She knew he was having a hard time with this because seventeen years had flown by in the blink of an eye. She'd missed all of Arielle's baby and childhood moments, knowing she could never get them back, but had the privilege of getting to know her and sharing memories for the past five years. So at the very least she hadn't missed any of Arielle's teenage years, which is when a daughter needed her mother most.

"Never mind." Jasina began walking away, knowing Mark needed a moment or several to compose himself, not wanting Arielle to see him in that type of state.

"She was the tiniest thing..." He rumbled, causing her to stop, still not facing her, busy letting his face return to its normal shade opposed to this blotchy red. "She'd eat anythin' you put in front of her as soon as she could start eatin' table foods...All these things that I remember but haven't thought about in years, I'm thinkin' about them now." Mark turned and gestured to a picture of Arielle as an infant. "It seems like that was yesterday and somehow, I blinked and missed it, now she's almost a woman…is a woman."

This was the most civil Mark had been to her, and her to him, in quite awhile.

"You didn't miss anything, Mark. I did." Jasina whispered, walking over to look at the picture that hung on the wall, tears stinging her eyes again.

She had the most beautiful baby girl and had walked away because of selfish inconsiderate reasons. No wonder Mark wanted anything to do with her. She didn't even deserve to be here at Arielle's seventeenth golden birthday party. If anything, Mark should've been the one guiding Arielle around showing her the decoration and had some say in them.

Jasina would never get those years back and never be able to make them fully up to Arielle, no matter how hard she tried. How could she have been so selfish and heartless to leave her angel and the man who made her world spin out of control? Would she ever get over this guilt that constantly ate away at her or would she have to deal with it the rest of her life?

"Umm Arielle is asking for you." Jasina composed herself, blinking the tears away and carefully wiped a few away from her eyes. "Y-You'd better get out there before she hunts you down."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a relatively clean black bandana, using it to gently wipe away a single tear that had strayed, mindful of her make-up. Afterwards, he pressed the rag into her hand, Jasina's teal eyes meeting his. While it was a happy occasion, it was also a sad one, for them, as parents, it was just another step in letting Arielle grow up and go her own way as her own person.

"Just in case, darlin'." Mark murmured, wanting nothing more than to thread his fingers through hers and face this head on with her. "Let's go together, we owe her that at the very least."

Arielle's one desire was to see both her parents together and, while she knew they were no longer a couple, that didn't mean they couldn't be a united front for one special night. Jasina wasn't sure what made her do it, but as she stared into his emerald green eyes that were somewhat reddened from crying, something washed over her she couldn't ignore. She reached up, glad she wore two inch heels and softly brushed her lips against his, cupping the side of his face in her soft hand.

It was a sweet soft brush, nothing more than that and she pulled back before he could do much else as she took his hand, lacing their fingers together. Jasina still loved him; it was simple as that and this was a special night that she refused to fight with him. Together, they headed down the hallway and toward the backyard, the sun just setting on the horizon as the DJ began putting the colorful lights on, people showing up already.

Dark eyes watched tentatively from a distance and Gary couldn't believe how beautiful Arielle was, his heart lurching in his throat. When she actually called to invite him, he was amazed and worried at the same time because of her old man. Maybe enough time had passed to where he wouldn't be recognized, which is what Arielle told him and he looked like a lot of the guys that had come, each with their own dates, only a few standing out that didn't have any. He wore a simple black dress shirt with khaki's, his dark hair slicked back, trying to look like he was still in high school.

If Gary wasn't careful, he could blow everything and refused to lose Arielle again, making his way toward her.

Arielle's breath caught in her throat when she seen Gary coming towards her. He said he would make it, but a small part of her had doubted him and been so sure he wouldn't come. Maybe because of something coming up or because of her father, but Gary was here nonetheless and regretted ever doubting him. Knowing appearing too eager would give them away, Arielle casually took his hand in what was a semi-intimate grip, squeezing gently before reluctantly letting go.

Arielle wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and never let go.

"I can't believe you're here." Arielle whispered, knowing that sadly, she couldn't linger with him and had to also greet her other guests.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby doll." Gary whispered in her ear as she passed by him, his hand lingering on hers, knowing eventually she would make her way back so they could dance the night away at her party.

Gary wouldn't have missed this for the world and knew Arielle had doubted him. He even tried making a bet with her, only for her to decline. Gary could only watch her and tried mingling with the other guests, but his eyes never left Arielle for a second. She was more beautiful than the first day they met. Toni had noticed Gary right away and felt her eyes nearly pop out of her head, rushing over to him with a grin. Of course, Toni couldn't scream his name out because Arielle had specifically warned her that Mark had NO idea he was coming, hugging him tightly around the neck.

"It's so great seeing you, Gary." Toni whispered in her ear, winking over at Arielle

Mark was busy surveying the guests that were arriving and kept a hold of Jasina, his gaze flickering over the boy Arielle was talking with, only to return and he smiled only slightly. So Arielle did know a boy. He wanted to go introduce himself and fought that down, knowing he eventually was going to have to let her make her own choices. When she stepped back and let go of the boy's hand, smiling to someone who walked by, he let out a sigh of relief, assuming it was just someone from school.

So that was Gary and he certainly did grow up handsomely. Jasina had to give credit to her daughter because she had great taste like her mother. She just hoped Mark let Arielle have her moment in the sun and asked questions later, not wanting anything ruining this night.

"Breathe in." Jasina murmured, not letting go of his hand and smiled when his eyes locked on hers, teal eyes glittering from the colorful lights. "Now breathe out."

Trish hurried to Jasina as fast as she could, throwing her arms first around Mark, whose face registered shock at that, and then Jasina. "I can't believe she's already a young woman..." She sobbed, letting Steve pull her back before she cut off Jasina's oxygen, nestling back against him comfortably. "Seventeen already...They grow up too fast…"

Steve nodded his agreement, smiling at Jasina and Mark, pleased they seemed to be getting along for the party. "She's a fine young lady, you two did a damn good job on raisin' her."

Mark squeezed Jasina's hand again, smiling slightly. "Yeah, we did."

It felt amazing that Mark agreed with what Steve said, feeling proud that they had such a smart, beautiful daughter. She watched as Arielle made her way through the dance floor toward Gary, deciding she would be Mark's distraction. "Come help me with the presents please." She requested, already pulling him toward the house and winked at Trish secretly, the women in cahoots with what was happening tonight.

"Think they'll get back together?" Steve asked once Mark and Jasina were out of earshot, nuzzling his fiancée's ear.

"It's possible, but he's really going to have to make some drastic changes. He better get busy too because someone else is interested already."

After making her rounds, Arielle decided she wanted at least ONE dance with Gary, just in case.

Gary just stood there as Arielle approached him, extending his hand to her and felt the fire rush through him as soon as they touched again, guiding her on the dance floor. "I definitely have no second thoughts." He whispered in her ear, pulling her close as he wrapped her in his strong arms, hers going around his neck, their foreheads pressed together. "I love you, Arie." He was dying to kiss her, but knew they would have to sneak away to do that. "Your mother is devious, ya know that?"

"You have no idea." Arielle murmured, wanting to kiss him, hold him, and a million other things, but was also content with this dance, inhaling deeply, trying to memorize this moment. She had no idea when she would be able to see him again. "She'll keep him distracted for...at least two songs." Arielle knew either her Mom or Trish had picked out the music because it was stuff she liked and slightly romantic, perfect for the occasion.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Good Lord that girl has a lot of gifts..." Mark muttered, his eyes wide as he helped Jasina sort them, hesitating when he picked up marked From Randy. "What'd he get her?" He asked after a moment, squashing down any jealousy or anger he might've momentarily felt.

"I believe a new digital camera." Jasina answered, trying not to laugh at the disdain on Mark's face, snatching it away from him. "Relax, there is no gift in this entire pile that will mean more to her than that SUV and you know it." She chastised softly, heading over to the huge bucket she'd bought specifically for this reason, knowing Arielle was really popular with the high school. "You do realize you're cuter when you're jealous right?" When he growled at her, Jasina rolled her eyes and smacked his arm lightly. "Behave or else. He's not here, he simply got her a gift and asked me to bring it. You wouldn't want Arielle upset on this night because of your temper, would you?"

"Haven't blown a fuse yet now have I?" Mark shot back, pleased to know that Orton wouldn't be making an appearance. Not that he would have picked a fight at Arielle's birthday party with the other man, but Mark would remember it down the road. "Envelope from Trish and Steve...gift card." Probably to somewhere many expensive...Steve had probably just scrawled his signature, wait... "No, this is from Steve." He arched a suspicious eyebrow, half afraid to know what his friend had gotten Arie. "You might want to open that now and then re-tape it." He cautioned gravely.

Jasina simply snatched it away from him and put it with the rest of the cards, setting them aside out of Mark's reach. She couldn't believe Steve actually got Arielle something by himself, but then again she was practically his daughter too in a way, being her godfather and all. Jasina arranged the presents from smallest to biggest, which took a little while and forced Mark to help her with every single one of them, slapping his hand every time he tried taking a peek inside. He was worse than a kid in a damn candy store!

"Okay we're finally done, get away from the presents before I hurt you." She threatened, already shoving him away from them by pushing on his back, knowing he was allowing her to otherwise it would be like moving a semi-truck. "You'll find out when she opens everything, now stop being overbearing before I sick Trish on you."

"I'm tellin' ya now darlin', you're gonna regret not peeking when you see some of the things people give her." Mark teased, knowing he wasn't being overbearing so much as nosy and curious. "If she pulls out a naked man in a hula skirt for her SUV, courtesy of Steve, it'll be a told-you-so situation." Because with Steve's humor, the naked man in a grass skirt would be very anatomically correct and Steve would think it was hilarious.

"Whatever Steve got her will be fine with me and you have to remember that he has a pregnant fiancée, who made sure that the gift was not only acceptable for a seventeen year old, but also appropriate." Jasina pointed out with a smirk, standing beside him just outside on the patio, staring at him knowingly. "Trish would skin him alive if it was anything remotely embarrassing and you damn well know it." Jasina walked away to look out on the dance floor, smiling down at her daughter who was still dancing with Gary and now Toni, winking at her to let her know everything was fine when their eyes locked briefly.

Mark groaned, knowing Jasina wasn't really thinking outside the 'Trish Has His Balls' box and eyeballed Steve, gesturing for him. "I seen ya got Arie a present."

Steve smiled a bit too innocently. "How'd you know? I didn't sign it or anythin'."

"Beer can wrapping paper? Really Steve?"

Steve shrugged, still smirking. "Your point?"

"What'd you get her?"

"Two things, you'll have to wait and see."

"She'll love it." Trish assured him with a smile, winking up at Steve, deciding to let him have a little fun for once.

"I know she will, she knows how her godfather can be, so she won't be surprised whatever it is."

Jasina wasn't worried in the slightest, wishing Mark would take a chill pill and wondered how he was going to act when Arielle turned eighteen. She didn't even want to think about that, immediately pushing it out of her mind. Jasina went a little crazy with Arielle's birthday gifts, but knew everything she got her daughter would be much appreciated.

"Think we're pushing our luck?" Gary murmured in Arielle's ear while they continued swaying to the music that flowed over the dance floor, never wanting this moment to end.

Gary also didn't want to push his luck because if Mark so much as remembered anything about him, he would be chased off the property with a loaded shotgun. So far, Jasina had kept him occupied, but he also knew she wasn't with Mark anymore, so it would only last so long. If he was smart, Gary would leave now, but just one look in Arielle's emerald eyes and he knew he couldn't find the strength to pull away.

"Probably." Arielle said, having lost track of time, more wrapped up in this moment than anything else and reluctantly pulled away from him as the song ended. "I should go be mingling again before he- He's coming this way." Arielle knew better than to openly panic; that would be bad and when she went to look at Gary, Arielle was mildly surprised to find he had disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Gary at the refreshment table with his back turned to them; he was quick. "Hi Dad."

"Where'd your friend go?"

She shrugged, not answering.

"How about you have a dance with your old man?" Mark grinned down at her, deciding to take Jasina's unspoken advice and have a chill pill.

Jasina couldn't stop Mark from going down there, sighing with relief almost as the same time Trish did when they noticed Gary had disappeared to get some refreshments. The man was quick on his feet; she'd definitely give him that and smiled when Steve guided Trish down to the dance floor. All Jasina could do was stand there looking down at all the guests and how Mark danced with their daughter. Her eyes moved to Trish and Steve, seeing all the love they both felt for each other and wished she could have the same happy family Trish did. Suddenly, Jasina wished Randy was there so she could at least share this night with someone, the loneliness washing over her.

"Hi Ms. Jameson." Toni said, sidling up to the older woman, smiling shyly.

She liked Arielle's mom, but learned to respect the woman after the kidnapping weekend she'd inadvertently got involved in. She also knew Jasina was in on Gary being there, not believing Jasina would do that and thought she was a major cool Mom. Flicking her black hair, which was plaited into dozens and dozens of tiny braids, over her shoulder, Toni couldn't help asking about Randy Orton.

"I kind of thought Arie's boss, other boss, would be here. She said she invited him."

"Having Mr. Orton come to her party probably wouldn't be a good idea because Mr. Calaway doesn't like him." Jasina explained in a soft voice, hugging Toni when she first greeted her. "He did get her a gift though so I'm sure Arie will be happy with that. How are you? Getting excited for your senior year?" Jasina had to get her mind on something else, anything to push the loneliness away, knowing she had nobody to blame except herself for it.

"Sort of, it won't be the same without Arie." While sharp, Toni wasn't as smart as her best friend and would admit it without shame. She would graduate at eighteen like the rest of her class, still surprised that Arielle had actually skipped a year. "But it's cool that she's stickin' around to do the internship instead of just takin' off for-" She stopped and started again. "For college right away."

"You know Arie thinks of you as her sister, right?" When Toni nodded, Jasina grinned as she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, guiding her over to sit down since the heels she wore started making her feet ache. "What are your interests as far as college goes? Do you know what you want to study or are you still just worried about being in high school?"

It was nice talking to Arielle's best friend and Jasina hoped they would remain close for the rest of their lives. They'd been through a lot together and Jasina could tell how fiercely loyal her daughter was to certain people in her life. Gary and Toni were prime examples of that.

"Oh, I don't know yet." Toni said thoughtfully, not about to tell her best friend's Mom that her chances of going to college were slim unless she took classes at the local college via a grant. Not to mention she wasn't sure if she even wanted to go to college. "I have a few months to think about it before needing to apply anywhere. Maybe somethin' with animals."

"Well if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

Jasina patted Toni's hand gently and stood up from the table when the music ended, the DJ announcing it was time for everyone to head over to the special area designated for the presents. Jasina had everything set up as people headed up the stairs, Arielle finally arriving last along with Mark. Jasina had a special purple chair for Arielle to sit in, the huge table full of presents staring back at her.

The disappointment was obvious in Arielle's eyes, but she wouldn't be getting the ultimate gift until after she opened all of these. Arielle knew she shouldn't be disappointed; a car was a big thing, figuratively and literally. She knew when she seen the table, it wasn't like there would be a car parked right on it, she had just thought...maybe her Mom would get her one or definitely her Dad since he did sometimes sell calls he acquired from his garage. She was soon distracted by the presents she was opening, eyeballing one wrapped in paper covered in beer cans.

"Steve..." Arielle looked around for him, seeing his broad grin and hesitantly opened it, instantly hiding it under the table. "Seriously, Steve?"

"Seriously."

Of all things, it was a book called: Shit You Can Only Get Away with In College. Apparently, he had bought this BEFORE the internship. She cracked it open, smirking at the inscription and then seen the gift card taped to the jacket, smiling at him. Just in case, she sat on the book, wanting to look at it before showing her folks.

Jasina managed to pull it from beneath Arielle's rear and looked at the cover, immediately busting out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "Steve, you'll never fail to amaze me."

She tucked it behind a few of the other unopened gifts, thankful Mark had decided to take that moment to grab a beer, winking down at her daughter. The next gift Arielle opened was from Jasina, which ended up being a brand new laptop that Arielle asked for. It had a purple cover with black on the inside, state of the art Dell, which was the only computer product Jasina ever bought.

"Everything is already set up on it, but I put it back in the box and didn't remove anything. I just wanted to make sure everything was already set and loaded for you."

"Thanks Mom."

Arielle beamed at her, arching an eyebrow when she spotted a small box without a label and wondered who that was from. She shunted it aside for the moment before selecting one she knew was from Toni. The wrapping paper covered in the words 'Best Friends Forever', a dead giveaway and Arielle grinned, knowing Toni would find that amusing.

"It's a survival kit."

"I see that...Dad Repellent?"

"You did say he told you no datin' until thirty-five..."

Mark slapped his forehead with his palm, grunting when a laughing Steve smacked him between the shoulder blades.

"Mom Repellent, lockbox...pens, journals, a Magic 8 Ball and a Treasure Troll; cool, I'll always know my fortune and be able to make wishes."

"Hey, you don't need Mom Repellent!" Jasina argued playfully, loving how happy her daughter was with all the gifts as she shoved Toni's to the side, going to the next one.

She also didn't miss Arielle shoving the small box to the side either that didn't have a name. Knowing it was from Gary, Jasina took the opportunity to take it without Mark noticing. He was too busy wondering what the hell Randy had gotten Arielle as she began ripping apart the golden wrapping paper.

"Randy told me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't make it and he hopes you like it." Jasina said quietly in her ear, watching her nod and knew she understood, stepping back as Arielle's squeals echoed throughout the area seconds later.

"A DIGITAL CAMERA!"

"Randy knew you would need one eventually and has decided he will be training you sooner on taking photos because you can't learn without being hands-on."

"Liar, he hates digital cameras, this is him shutting me up because I want to use HIS camera!" Arielle laughed, already in love with the digital one she had been eyeing at a photography shop Randy had taken her too, knowing how pricey it was and swallowed hard.

He hated digitals, but as far as they went, this was the best. She carefully set the box down out of the way so nothing happened to it before continuing opening presents and finally was down to Gary's. Having so far accumulated several gift cards -one for a Carter's from Trish, an IPAD, a digital picture frame and a bunch of other things she hadn't even thought of asking for. Slowly, she cracked open the small box, wondering what Gary had gotten her, eyes widening.

"Oh my god..."

Trish could only gape.

Gary suddenly wondered if maybe giving her a promise ring was the smartest idea, locking eyes very briefly with Jasina, letting her know it was from him. There was no name on the package so Mark wouldn't figure out who it was from. It was a promise ring and had an Amethyst stone cut in the shape of a heart, two small diamonds on each side set on a silver band.

It looked very expensive and shined in the purple lights above, Gary dying to step forward to place it on her finger. He couldn't though, his heart aching when Arielle simply stared down at it. Jasina closed her eyes when Mark immediately demanded who that ring was from, doing the cut throat motion with her thumb, signaling to Gary it was time to vacate while he still had all of his limbs intact.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Even Mark knew what the hell that ring was, keeping his voice level, but still demanding to know who had given it to her. Arielle had simply shown him the box, which had no name attached and immediately began scouring the people in attendance, mentally checking them off the list as he recounted what they had given her for a gift. His green eyes narrowed on the boy she had been dancing with, the boy who was staring directly at him and felt his mind sliding pieces of information into place, snorting.

"Daddy..."

"Gary, run."

"Gary?" That last piece clinked into its place and he began storming towards the MAN, who was no longer a youth any longer but an adult now.

"Mark stop!" Jasina reacted instinctively and ran to stand between Mark and Gary, holding her arms out with pursed lips. "You're ruining our daughter's birthday and this is NO way to treat a guest, no matter WHO it is!" When he growled and tried moving her, Jasina wasn't budging, knowing Mark wouldn't dare lay his hands on her. She would end up slapping him again in front of everyone, eyes narrowing. "I invited him, okay? I'M the one who let him come to her birthday because it's what Arielle wants! She's been talking to Gary since he got out of juvie and came to me first because she knew how you would react. Like an overprotective jackass of a father who doesn't think before he acts! Now stop this before you completely destroy her golden birthday; we'll discuss this later, but right now you need to suck it up and leave Gary alone. He's here because of me so if you want me to leave, I will, but you are NOT throwing him out of your daughter's birthday party or I will NEVER speak to you again!"

She had invited the little bastard who had been sixteen years old and running around with twelve year old girls. The little bastard who had supplied the labor and the equipment to LOCK THEM IN HIS BEDROOM! And the icing on the cake was that she was standing right there in front of all these people, basically treating him like Trish treated Steve, a bitch.

"Take that little punk and BOTH of you get the fuck off my property." Mark ordered in a low dangerous voice, becoming dimly aware of Steve holding him back. When Jasina just stared at him, he lunged forward, grunting when he was jerked back. "NOW!"

"I'd be happy to and I'm sure Arielle appreciates you ruining her birthday party, her GOLDEN birthday party." Jasina refused to cry in front of him and wrapped a protective arm around Gary's shoulders, stopping him before he could say a single word. "Not right now, Gary. Come on, you'll see Arie again, I promise." If she had to, she would let Gary move in with her temporarily, knowing he had nowhere to stay right now and would even help him find a job. Jasina wasn't surprised when Arielle rushed past everyone, including her father, throwing her arms around Jasina as tears poured down her face. "I'm sorry Arie. I tried..." She winced when Mark roared for everyone to leave that the party was officially over and she felt terrible for her daughter. "If you want to come stay with me, you are more than welcome." Jasina quickly added before heading through the house as fast as her heels could go, refusing to let Mark hurt the man her daughter loved.

"Not now Trish, go after them." Steve ordered when it looked like Trish was about to open her mouth and bitch Mark out. "Go on now, woman. I got him."

"Not for long." Mark growled, beginning to step out of the hold Steve had him in, finally bending over and letting Steve slide over his back.

Steve tripped him before he could go after Gary and Jasina. "Now...just calm down, you already fucked up yer daughter's birthday, you lookin' to go to jail too?"

"That bitch snuck him in here, KNOWING how I feel about the little bastard!"

Steve did the only thing he could when Mark wouldn't stop his rampage; he pushed him onto the patio and then into the pool. "Cool yer ass down!"

Jasina got Gary safely into her car and went to slip behind the wheel, when Trish came out of the house bellowing her name. "Stay in here, do you understand?" She demanded, staring into Gary's guilty dark eyes.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good boy, thank you." She shut the door and met Trish halfway, blinking as tears slowly slid down her cheeks, trembling slightly from Mark's explosion. "I'm sorry..."

"No! Don't you DARE apologize! This is his fault, not yours! He doesn't want anyone to be happy because he's a miserable old bastard himself!" Trish wiped a few of her own tears away, knowing Arielle was beside herself right now. "Did you know about the ring?"

"No." Jasina actually smiled through everything, touching her face. "But I'm glad he gave it to her because it proves just how much he loves her. Maybe I'm fooling myself and maybe I'm even a bad mother, but I believe it wholeheartedly. And I wanted my daughter to have the best birthday of her life and it was ruined..."

"Because of Mark, not you." Trish cupped her face in her hands, wanting Jasina to realize she didn't do anything wrong. "You did what you felt best, Jasi. No one can fault you for that and Arielle did have a great birthday, up until Mark found out about Gary. But that doesn't make you a bad mother. You're a great mother, never forget that."

"Thanks." She cringed when she heard glass breaking inside, hoping Mark wasn't destroying Arielle's gifts and blinked when her daughter suddenly ran out the front door.

Arielle had grabbed a bag, stuffed her important things into it and hauled her ass right out of the house, tears streaming down her face. She knew her Dad would never lay a hand on her, but that didn't make his explosive temper any less frightening. She was pissed off too, on top of being afraid, hardly believing he had just done that in front of all those people, ruining what had been a special night. Jasina heard something in the backyard that sounded like water and felt her teal eyes widen when Steve came barreling out of the house moments later, blinking.

"TIME TO GO!" Steve bellowed, actually lifting his pregnant fiancée in his arms and raced to the truck, knowing Mark would be after him as soon as he could.

"STEVEN! What the hell is going on?" Trish shrieked in surprise, looking past his shoulder at a bewildered Jasina, her own eyes widening when they heard Mark cussing up a storm. "What did you do?!"

"Shoved him in the pool to cool his ass off!"

It was definitely time to go as Jasina opened the door for her daughter, practically shoving her inside with her bag and peeled out of there just as Mark came stalking out of the front door, dripping wet from head to toe. Arielle scrambled into the backseat along with Gary, resting her head on his shoulder, unable to stop crying while he wrapped his arms around her. They had gotten what they wanted, to be together, but not in the way either of them wanted. Mark almost took off after them on his Harley, but by the time he was straddling it, reaching for the key, he came to his senses a bit. Enough to know he couldn't drive, not in this rage, and then an image of Arielle's tear streaked face flashed before him, freezing him altogether.

"Shhh it's okay baby doll." Gary soothed, running his fingers through her hair and looked down at her hand, frowning. "Where's your ring?" He watched her pull it out of her bag and handed it to him, locking eyes briefly with Jasina in the rearview mirror, watching her nod once. "I wanted to do this when you opened it, but this is better than nothing. Arielle, this ring is my promise that I will love you forever, no matter what you do, and I will stand by you. Do you accept?" When she nodded and cried harder, Gary slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her softly, wrapping his strong arms around her before burying his face in her hair. "I love you, Arie."

Someday he would marry her, but a promise ring was all he could do right now. Jasina couldn't help letting a few tears slip down her cheeks and silently vowed that if Gary ever hurt her daughter in any way, she would castrate him, especially after what Gary said. When they reached Jasina's apartment, Arielle had stopped crying, mainly because she was out of tears, her nose plugged, and throat felt raw. She leaned on Gary as they followed her Mom inside, letting him take her bag from her lifeless fingers. As soon as they were inside, she headed straight for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her.

Gary looked at Jasina almost helplessly.

"Give her some time, Gary. Her father just destroyed possibly one the happiest nights of her life." Jasina quietly said, placing a hand on his shoulder, a frown marred on her features. "She loves you, but what Mark did tonight crushed her, especially in front of all those people. Just let her have some time alone."

Tonight definitely called for some wine and Jasina didn't care who was there, knowing she would probably have nightmares of Mark's emerald eyes turning to pure acid when she defended Gary. There was no way to patch whatever was left between them, it was officially over. Nodding, Gary stood there, unsure of what to do or even say and looked around skeptically.

Never in a million years would he have ever imagined being inside Jasina's apartment, with her being civil to him. Arielle said her Mom understood about them, but he hadn't been entirely sure, considering he had helped lock Jasina and Mark away for a weekend in the ranch. Clearing his throat, he raked a hand through his hair, messing it up without even thinking about it.

"I have a motel room I can go to."

It was also where his small bag of things were and Gary really didn't trust the owner to not go into the room and steal them. He didn't have a lot, but it was all in that bag that couldn't be stolen. A pair of keys were tossed his way, Gary barely catching them before they could clock him in the nose.

"You're staying here with me and Arielle. I'm afraid Mark will try hunting you down and your chances will be better if you're here. Not to mention, Arie needs you right now." Jasina explained, pouring herself a glass of wine while trying to stop trembling, taking a deep breath. "I'm trusting you to take my car, please don't wreck it."

"I can take a bus, ma'am." Gary held out her keys, not surprised in the least when she began shaking her head. "I wouldn't want to risk anything happening to your car, I'm stayin' in a...shady part of town." He jumped when there was a knock on the door, his eyes darting over to it, expecting that to be Mark with a loaded gun and absolutely no mercy.

"Go sit down in the living room, I'll take you to get your things tomorrow."

Jasina didn't want to go anywhere else tonight and had a few of Mark's things that accidentally got caught in the mix with hers when she moved out of the ranch. Pressing her finger to her lips, Jasina took one last sip of wine and tried gathering her wits, padding over to unlock the door. If Mark tried barging in her place, she would call the police and have him arrested on the spot, reluctantly opening the door.

Randy was standing there with an expectant smile on his face, having intended on asking her how the party went and if Arielle liked his gift. He was mildly surprised when he noticed her car in the parking lot, figuring the party would have lasted longer. When he seen the look on Jasina's face, the smile vanished instantly.

"What happened?" He immediately asked awkwardly.

Her heart slowly dislodged its way from her throat as Jasina stared into the worried blue eyes of Randy, tears instantly streaming down her face. "Thank god it's you." She whispered, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as her entire body trembled against him from head to toe.

Jasina felt Randy instantly return the embrace and needed this more than anything, clinging to him for dear life. Mark had scared her nearly to death tonight and Jasina honestly thought it was him at the door, ready to stampede over her with a shotgun aimed at Gary. She couldn't even talk and felt Randy back her into the apartment, the door closing behind them, having buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Who else would it-" Randy trailed off when he realized just who else it could be, the only person he knew who could effectively tear Jasina to pieces. Scowling, Randy held her a bit tighter and buried his face in her hair. After a moment he let go, his piercing blue eyes fastening on Gary. "Hello."

"Hello, I'm-"

"Gary, I'm assuming. Arielle mentioned you." Randy looked down at Jasina, assuming Gary being here had something to do with whatever had her troubled.

"Has Arielle come out of the bathroom yet?" Jasina asked quietly, pulling away from Randy to wipe her tears away, frowning when he merely shook his head. "Alright, there's a spare bedroom down the hallway you can use. Randy, I really hate asking this, but do you have anything Gary can borrow for the night? His stuff is at the hotel on the other side of town and..." She chewed her bottom lip, trying to gather what little dignity she had left. "We need to stay in tonight." She wasn't going to tell him what happened at Arielle's party, flat out refusing. "Please, it would mean a lot to me personally."

"Why don't you just tell me where he's staying and I'll go get his things?" Randy suggested, not about to embarrass Gary by informing him that while he was muscular, he still wouldn't fit in anything Randy owned. When Jasina began shaking her head, he pressed a finger to her lips. "I don't mind and he probably would like his own things, it looks like he's had a rough night too."

Nodding reluctantly, Jasina knew there was no use arguing with Randy and he would be fine because he'd been in a lot of dangerous situations. His job required it. "Hurry back." She pleaded in a whisper, feeling him brush his lips against her forehead and let Gary give him the information on where the hotel was.

Jasina wanted to go with him, but couldn't leave her daughter and Gary alone in case Mark showed up. Swallowing hard, Jasina locked the door behind her and finished her first glass of wine, her mind completely frazzled. Arielle emerged out of the bathroom, still wearing her party dress though it was now looking a bit rumpled and less glamorous. She had discarded her shoes and taken her hair down along with washing away the tears and make-up from her face.

"Who was at the door?" Arielle asked softly, sniffling a little as she sat on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her and smiled waveringly when Gary sat down next to her.

"It was Randy, sweetheart." Jasina answered, sitting down in the nearby chair, leaning her head back. "He was nice enough to go get Gary's things from his hotel room. He's going to stay here with me for awhile until he gets on his feet." She'd already decided it, knowing Mark would be a raving lunatic for at least a good solid month or more, hoping Gary didn't run into him in town because all hell would break loose. "You can stay here too if you want, Arielle, but you two are having separate rooms."

"Mom, you're no fun." Arielle said, aiming for teasing but it came out sounding flat, having a feeling she would probably wind up sneaking into Gary's room anyway. Not for sex, there was no way she was ready for that, but Arielle didn't want to spend their first night back together in the next room over, unable to sleep and thinking about him either.

"You told your boss about me?"

"Randy is cool, trust me."

Jasina couldn't even crack a smile at her daughter's dull tease, too worried about what Mark was going to do and wished she could forget about him. Why couldn't she? He was a heartless brute who didn't care about anyone except himself, not even his daughter! The way he embarrassed her on her golden birthday...Jasina felt sick as she set her second glass of wine down and excused herself to walk into the bathroom.

"Do not let anyone in here without my consent." Jasina ordered before closing the door, falling completely apart.

"Yeah, because I'm really going to open that door for just anyone..." Arielle snorted sarcastically.

"Your Mom is worried, take it easy on her."

"He ruined MY birthday, totally spazzed on EVERYONE..." Arielle began to chew on her thumbnail, sighing when he pulled her hand from her mouth. "Sorry bad habit."

"One you've had since you were ten." He smiled tentatively.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Mom! Randy's back!" Arielle called out. "Can we let him in?"

"Yeah I'll be out in a minute." Jasina called back through the door, having finally stopped crying and washed her face and stepped out of the tub. She quickly dried off and threw on her garments from earlier, knowing they were fairly clean and it was all she had at the moment. Pulling a light blue terry cloth robe around her that went to mid-thigh, Jasina walked out, letting Gary take it over while Arielle went to her room to change out of her gown. "Thanks for doing that." She murmured, running a hand through her wet hair as she walked over to sit on the couch, looking like she'd had a very rough night.

"Don't mention it." Randy wasn't about to tell her just how bad the place was, having a feeling Gary hadn't either because she probably would have had a 'mother moment' and stared down at her intently, taking in the fact that she had bathed while he was gone. "Do you want to talk about it, Jasina?" He asked softly, knowing she probably didn't, but wanted her to know he would listen if she did.

"It was perfect until Arielle opened Gary's gift. He didn't even put his name on it. It was a promise ring, a beautiful ring, and Mark completely exploded when he figured out who gave it to her. I stopped him from maiming the poor guy and told him it was my idea to invite Gary. He ordered me and Gary to leave his property, right in front of everyone, embarrassing Arielle." She began crying again, shivering as those acid eyes flashed through her mind, burying her face in her hands. "I-I was only trying to do what I thought was right. I wanted Arielle to be happy and now...now she's more miserable than ever and it's his entire fault!" She felt Randy wrap his arms around her shoulders and leaned against him, needing comfort. "I just want to forget him. I want to forget everything I've ever felt for him. I want to forget him, period. I hate him for what he did to her."

Randy's eyes had only grown wider with each word that came out of her mouth, hardly believing the guy had ruined his own daughter's birthday party that way. Granted, from what he did know of Mark, from what he had heard and personal experiences, he knew the man had a temper and didn't like him a bit, but even this... "Damn..." He murmured, leaning back into the couch and pulling her with him, running his fingers up and down her shoulder soothingly. "How is Arie now?"

"She said she's fine, but I know what he did really hurt her." Jasina knew she should explain why Mark hated Gary so much, deciding she might as well get it over with. "Mark isn't a bad guy and I didn't expect anything less from him, but we were going to wait to tell him tomorrow AFTER her birthday. She never even received her final gift from him and now she probably won't."

When Randy hesitantly asked what Gary did, Jasina took a deep breath and began the long story of how her and Mark were locked away together in his bedroom for nearly two days. She didn't leave out anything, being completely honest and even told him about the sex drugs and toys, refusing to look at him because she was red in the face. When Jasina finished, Randy could only stare at her with a dropped jaw.

On one hand...Randy was in total agreement with Mark and wondered if Jasina was out of her mind. On the other...he could also, sort of, see it from her side. Given her background, -She still didn't know he knew and that was a good thing since she'd probably stop speaking to him completely- he could understand how she was about forgiving people for their mistakes.

"So, you've honestly forgiven him…Gary, I mean or are you doing it for Arielle?" Randy asked softly, not wanting Gary or Arie to overhear him.

"I've forgiven him. He went to juvie and paid for what he did to us. He grew up in a really bad home with a lousy abusive drunk father who beat him and his mother." Jasina shivered, remembering when Gary's father had actually began taking his belt off in front of everyone in Mark's kitchen, having made the kids clean up their disgusting mess. "What they did was wrong, I'm not saying that, but it's been damned near five years since the incident and they were all KIDS. He was sixteen at the time, but he was still a kid." Jasina sighed heavily, knowing everyone would think she was insane for forgiving Gary, but honestly she could see the change in him. Randy probably thought she was out of her mind too, which made Jasina pull away from him slightly to wipe her tears away. "The bottom line is Gary loves my daughter and Arielle loves him just as much. If they want to be together, then they should, regardless of what happened in the past."

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Randy agreed wholeheartedly.

Though, he did hope she wouldn't apply that towards Mark again, since she had given him several chances as of late from his understanding. A woman could only tolerate so much and Randy wondered where her line was drawn, how much she would take. He also knew Jasina must've loved this asshole quite a bit to keep dealing with his antics, wondering if he even stood a chance with her.

"I've come to the conclusion that we'll never work things out, Mark and I. It's either his way or the highway and I'm sick of it. I'm not being stuck under his thumb anymore." Jasina closed her eyes, silent tears rolling down her face, wishing they would stop because she'd already embarrassed herself enough in front of Randy. "Sorry." She whispered, knowing Randy didn't want to hear this, the intense pain radiating from her. "Please don't tell anyone else what I told you tonight. I trust you and I need someone to talk to besides Trish."

"Hey," He smiled at her, reaching out to gently wipe away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. "That's what I'm here for, and who would I tell? I don't know anyone here outside of work and you're the only one besides Arielle that I talk to regularly, unless you count reporting to Trish." Randy suddenly had a feeling tomorrow he was going to be dealing with a very angry, pissed off pregnant woman and made a mental note to stay out of office all day. "You and Arie staying home tomorrow?"

"No, I'm not going to let him scare me away from my job. I have to move on with my life and it's not my fault that Arielle wants to live with me instead of his brooding ass." She snorted, feeling a little better with Randy here and looked into his blue eyes, suddenly remembering what he said at the bar party. "I'm glad you're here. I was hoping you'd show up at Arielle's party tonight, but I understand why you didn't..." Jasina lowered her eyes, tucking her legs beneath her to get more comfortable on the couch.

"I'm your co-worker and Arielle's boss, I didn't think it would be appropriate of me to show up." Randy really wished he had though, just to see Mark get a lecture because he knew Jasina had delivered one. Then again, him being there might have escalated the situation even worse than what it had been. "Why don't you come out with me and Arielle tomorrow? We're hitting the beach." It was nice having a job that let him go places that were entertaining. "You could even bring her...boyfriend? If you want, maybe we can find him a job unless he's already got one."

"Are you sure?" When Randy nodded, Jasina smiled genuinely and hugged him around the neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear and pulled back, smoothing back his short hair a little. A day at the beach sounded wonderful and Jasina knew she could bring her laptop, wanting to see Arielle intern for Randy. She looked up when Gary walked out of the bathroom, smiling more now. "Feel better?" She asked, chuckling when Arielle walked out almost the same time he did from her room.

"Yes ma'am, I like the suit, but...this is more comfortable." Gary had changed into sweatpants and a white beater after his shower, smiling down at Arielle when she appeared at his side. "You look more comfy too."

"I am." Arielle agreed, in drawstring pajama bottoms with a matching camisole top, waving at Randy. "Hey boss."

"Tomorrow you're going to need sunscreen, we're hitting the beach."

"Sounds fun. Mom, as impossible as this seems given what a shitty night we've had...I'm hungry."

When Jasina groaned, he felt lost.

"I eat a lot."

"She has her father's appetite, unfortunately." Jasina muttered good-naturedly, nodding at Arielle, suddenly frowning because they hadn't even got to her birthday cake. "I'll order some pizza." Along with attempt to find a cake somewhere in town, Jasina watched her daughter's eyes light up. The littlest things made her happy, it amazed Jasina. "You two go catch up, but if you get tired, separate rooms. I'll let you know when the pizza's here."

"Thanks Ms. Jameson, for everything." Gary truly meant it and felt Arielle yank on his hand, guiding him into her room so he could see all of the gifts he missed.

Jasina got busy on the pizza.

"You frowned, what was the frown for?" Randy asked curiously after she ordered pizza, frowning himself when she informed him Arielle hadn't even been able to blow out candles or eat her birthday cake. That was just wrong. "I could run down to the all night market and see if the bakery has anything." He offered, more than tempted to go beat the shit out of Mark for doing this to Arielle on her BIRTHDAY of all days.

"You don't have to do that..." Jasina sighed when Randy already grabbed his keys, glad he ordered three pizzas because she had a feeling Randy had an appetite as big as Arielle's and Gary's combined. "See you shortly." She kissed his cheek and locked the door behind him, walking into her bedroom to slip into a pair of black shorts with a matching tank top, wanting to be comfortable, brushing her hair out.

Mark watched with narrowed eyes as none other than Randy Orton walked out of Jasina's apartment, stepping back behind the stairwell wall. He had calmed down and tried calling Arielle, but her cell phone was shut off, not that he had expected anything less. He had heard Jasina say 'see you shortly' and all thoughts of trying to talk to his daughter went out the window. Knowing he couldn't even approach that apartment door tonight without exploding again, Mark headed downstairs, giving Orton time to get wherever he was getting first.

The pizza arrived forty minutes later and Jasina began worrying why Randy hadn't made it back yet, trying not to let it bother her. She opened the door and smiled at the pizza boy, handing over a few bills before taking the three pizzas away from him, rolling her eyes when Arielle's bedroom door opened. Arielle could smell food a mile away, so having her daughter bounce out with Gary didn't surprise Jasina in the slightest.

"It's here." Jasina announced deadpan and let Arielle run straight for the food, plates and cups already down from the cupboards ready for them to dig in with. She was sticking with her wine, locking the door and decided to let the kids eat while she found something decent to watch.

Randy got back twenty minutes after the pizza had arrived, looking apologetic. "Sorry it took so long, I had to convince the store manager to reopen the bakery while the store is open twenty-four seven, apparently the bakery isn't." He had the cake in a bag, out of sight and smiled at Arielle, glad she was too busy eating pizza with Gary to notice the bag he had. "It's not much, but..." He walked over to the couch and held the bag out before opening it, letting Jasina get a look. "It's a birthday cake." He had even bought candles.

"It's perfect and you even got her favorite color right." Jasina murmured, not believing how thoughtful he was and placed the cake on the counter after sending the kids into the living room, careful not to ruin it. She stuck all seventeen candles in it, but didn't light them, wanting Randy to eat. "Go sit down, I'll make you a plate and I don't want any arguments." When he bowed to her, Jasina giggled as she got a plate, putting three huge slices on it and even got him a beer. "Go look what Randy was nice enough to pick up for you in the kitchen, Arie."

Curiously, Arielle headed for the kitchen, letting out a gasp as she took in the cake, feeling tears welling in her eyes. Her Dad had ruined her birthday and now it was being recreated in a small, intimate setting. She wondered how Randy had even known about it, guessing her Mom had filled him in on what happened.

"Thank you, Randy!" Arielle called, not wanting to step out until she could get the waterworks back under control.

Jasina watched him flush slightly, his ears turning red again and let him eat the rest of his pizza in peace, holding her arms out to her daughter when Arielle sat down beside her. She knew Arielle was trying not to cry and kissed the top of her head, mouthing 'thank you' to Randy while stroking her daughter's head. Mark was going to pay for destroying her birthday, but at least they were trying to make it better, glancing over at Gary who looked helpless again.

"Why don't you also thank Randy for your gift?" She whispered in Arielle's ear, trying to get her mind off of what Mark did. "And all the other stuff you got." She knew Arielle grabbed it all, not wanting her father to destroy anything.

"Oh yeah, thank you for the camera, but...You didn't have to get THAT one."

"What one?" Randy teased, taking a bite of his pizza.

"You know what one I'm talkin' about."

Randy shook his head innocently.

Arielle named the camera and how much it had cost, frowning when Gary began choking on his root beer.

"You liked it, it's a good camera, for a digital, and I trust you to keep it from being broken or misused."

"Arie, there's something else that we need to talk about." Jasina could see the apprehension in her daughter's eyes, clearing her throat, knowing she had to do this even though it would be rather drastic. "Your father was going to surprise you with a car tonight, an SUV, but I don't think he's going to give it to you now so..." She took a sip of her wine. "When we're done with Randy tomorrow, we're going car shopping and I'm going to let you pick whatever you want as long as it's reasonable." Mark wasn't going to destroy anything, Jasina would make sure of it. "How does that sound?"

"Mom, maybe we should give Dad a few days to calm down, he might change his mind." Not that SHE would, but Arielle wasn't turning down a car. However, if her Mom didn't have to buy her a new one... "Wait, an SUV? What color? What make, what year? Is it brand new or used?"

Well, one thing that hadn't changed about Arielle was the way she shot off a million questions at once, Gary silently observed.

Randy was just staring at her, trying not to laugh.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"I have no idea, I never got a chance to see it." Jasina shrugged, not really interested in the SUV, but if her daughter wanted it then she wasn't going to fight it. "Okay fine, if your father doesn't give you the SUV, I'll get you a vehicle, sound fair?" When Arielle nodded excitedly, Jasina breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes for just a few minutes, feeling a headache brewing.

"Why don't we do the cake thing and then maybe you guys should wind down, you all look tired." Not to mention Jasina was rubbing her temples without seeming to realize it, the way her forehead scrunched suggested Jasina was either thinking about something painful or suffering a headache, probably both. He made himself at home in the kitchen, getting out plates and utensils, bringing the cake out. "Got a lighter, Gary?"

"Uh, yeah." Gary pulled one out of his pocket. "Should we sing happy birthday too?" He teased, kissing Arielle on her forehead.

"Only if you do the chicken dance too."

"And she's serious when she says that." Jasina quipped, sitting up on the couch and looked over at Gary with slightly narrowed eyes. "Smoke outside only please."

"Y-Yes ma'am..."

Gary lit the candles and they all sang happy birthday to Arielle, Gary giving her a pinch to grow an inch, everyone having a laugh, something they all needed. Randy cut the cake up, giving the first slice to Arielle, everyone sitting back having cake peacefully without any brute bellowing about how crappy it tasted, which is exactly what Mark would've done. Jasina finished half her piece while Arielle and Gary devoured theirs, Randy taking his time.

"You're staring at me again." Jasina could feel his eyes on her and peeked over her shoulder, taking another bite as some frosting got on the corner of her lips.

"Just wondering what you're thinking." Randy simply replied, reaching over to gently wipe away the excess of frosting, not even thinking about it when he popped his finger in his mouth, his blue eyes fastening on hers.

"You don't want to know what I'm thinking, Randy." She had dropped her voice a little and looked back at her cake, licking the place where he'd swiped the frosting from with her tongue, taking another bite.

Arielle and Gary were both looking back and forth between the pair, Arielle looking somewhat resigned while Gary seemed confused. He knew who Randy was, but Arielle hadn't mentioned the man having any interest in her Mom. Even though it was MORE than obvious, even to someone outside the situation, that he did. It looked as though Jasina reciprocated the feelings and Gary hoped this didn't upset Arielle; she'd been through enough for one day.

"Come on Arie, show me some more of the stuff you got." Gary was already ushering her out of the room, deciding he wanted some quality alone time with his girlfriend and Jasina was distracted plenty with Randy.

"You two better behave or I'll separate you!" Jasina called down the hallway, smirking when the closed door suddenly cracked open. "That's better."

"Yeah, if you fall for that, you're not remembering how it was to be a teenager." Randy teased, holding up his hands when she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not saying they WILL do anything, I'm just saying when I was that age. I did things like keeping the door open to make my folks THINK I was behaving when I wasn't."

"Don't make her paranoid, Randy!" Arielle shouted before turning on the clock radio, knowing she was going to have to get her things here and make this room more homey since it was set up mostly as a guest room.

"Radio on, another distraction tool." Randy teased, dodging the icing that suddenly came his way.

"Stop it!" Jasina ordered, flicking another forkful of frosting at him, this time nailing him on the nose. She couldn't stop giggling even if her life depended on it, watching his eyes actually cross to look at his nose, or try anyway, giggles turning into full blown laughter. That was until frosting got flicked right back at her, nailing her on the top of her chest near her neck. "How dare you!"

"Hey, you started it! All I was doing was pointing out the obvious, with only best interests at heart, and trying to educate you on the wiles of teens." Randy said, sounding so sincere, his hands folded over his heart though his eyes were sparkling with humor. "Don't. Even. Think. About. It." He said when she eyeballed his hair, loading her fork again with more frosting and scooped up the rest of his cake slice. "I'll will nail you with this right in your face, Jas." He warned cautiously.

"Oh really?" That sounded like a challenge and Jasina never backed down from one.

Jasina decided to do this coyly as she stood up with her plate, licking the fork clean somewhat seductively and laughed when Randy eyeballed her charily. She managed to straddle his lap and dumped the entire plate on his head, cake and all. Pulling the plate away, Jasina began rubbing the cake into his hair, acting as if she was washing his hair with shampoo, only it was sticky frosting.

"You were saying?" Jasina got off of his lap and licked her fingers clean, seeing the baffled look on his face.

A moment later, Randy was out of the chair and had chased her into the kitchen, trapping her there, holding his cake in his hand. "Your turn." He said a bit too sweetly before pinning her in the corner, smearing it in her face and hair, knowing she had a shower or bath not too long ago. It looked like she needed another. "Turnabout." He announced before stepping away, licking frosting off his lips.

Jasina was never one to back down from any challenge and slowly wiped the cake from her face, flicking it into the sink. "I do believe the cake is missing something." She smirked and walked over to open her fridge, pulling out a bottle of chocolate Hershey's syrup, seeing Randy's blue eyes widen. "Don't you think so?" She popped the top on it and began squirting him, even some on his head, to mix with his frosting shampoo.

"You didn't...do you have any idea how hard chocolate syrup is to get out of hair?" Randy groaned, cursing when she actually got some on his shirt and immediately pulled it off, muscles flexing. "Not the shirt!" He reached for the bottle, growling softly when she hid it behind her back. "Jasina..." Stepping towards her, Randy pinned her to the fridge and stared down at her, one hand snaking behind her back to wrap his fingers around hers. "Give me the bottle." He murmured, having every intention of making sure she was just as messy as he was.

"Nope." Jasina smiled innocently with glittering teal eyes, already pouring what was left in her hand before bringing her hands up to rub all on his face and upper chest, giggling when he took the now empty chocolate bottle, having emptied whatever was left on him. "Too bad for poor Randy." Pouting playfully, Jasina slid away from him giggling uncontrollably and tried pulling clumps of cake off her face.

"Oh no, you don't!" Randy pulled her right back, smashing her against his chest, laughing when she shrieked as chocolate syrup transferred from his chest to her face and clothes, bending down to rub his cheek against hers, getting more syrup, frosting and cake on her. "I'm all about sharing, Jas." He informed her, letting go and leaning back against the wall -his back was clean and just minded his head touching the wall- laughing harder than he had in quite some time.

"You little fucker!" She could not believe he just did that! Gaping, Jasina wiped the chocolate off of her cheek and looked down at her now destroyed clean pajamas, laughing too hard to say much more. When Randy came toward her to try to help clean up, Jasina did a leg swipe, causing Randy to land on his back, straddling him.

"Sharing IS caring." Jasina agreed sweetly and suddenly smashed a handful of cake right in his face before standing up, bolting into the bathroom.

Arielle had heard laughing, shrieking and now thudding, wondering just what the HELL those irresponsible adults were up to. She and Gary had been laying on the bed, above the covers, listening to music, whispering to and just holding each other, but...it was getting a bit ridiculous. She got up and crept over to the door, pushing it open more and felt her jaw drop when she seen a half naked Randy at the bathroom door, laughing his ass off as he asked Jasina for a wet towel. He was COATED in sweets. She shut the door and turned to look at Gary, who was obviously confused.

"They done lost their minds..."

Jasina opened the door and took his hand, yanking him inside the bathroom so they could both clean up. "You are coated."

Then she suddenly realized they were in an enclosed space and Randy was covered in chocolate...delicious mouthwatering chocolate…and he definitely had an edible chest. She chewed her bottom lip because Jasina knew she had just trailed her eyes down his cake covered chocolate body, unable to resist. Rivulets of chocolate ran down his chest and all Jasina wanted to do was run her tongue along them to taste his body along with the chocolate, it'd been awhile since she did anything remotely like this. Jasina turned around to run another bath, clearing her throat, knowing she had to pull herself away from this sudden sexual intensity between them.

"You can clean up in here, this is the only bathroom I have." Jasina said, hoping her voice didn't sound too low, trying to push all the naughty thoughts out of her head.

Randy drew a basin full of water before beginning to clean the chocolate off himself, knowing he was going to have to head home and shower to get it out of his hair as well as totally wash away the stickiness. His eyes strayed to the mirror where he could clearly see Jasina bending over the tub, drawing another bath and instantly looked back down. Randy was glad he had opted for a pair of jeans that were a bit too...constricting because they were astringent parts of him that had no business being...awake.

"I'll help you clean the kitchen and dining room table." Randy offered, cursing when his voice came out low husky rumble.

Jasina shivered when she heard his husky voice and had to keep reminding herself that she couldn't sleep with him. It would be very wrong and...Jasina had a few glasses of wine in her, but she was still thinking clearly, feeling the hunger slowly consume her. She made the mistake of turning around and saw the rivulets of chocolate slowly sliding down his muscular chest, her mouth watering. Her teal eyes had turned a dark turquoise and Jasina already knew how Randy felt about her.

"L-Let me help you..." Jasina stood right in front of him and took the wet towel, beginning to wipe away the chocolate, even though she would've rather used her tongue, trying not to let her desire overwhelm all sense of rationality.

Randy was very aware of where this was going and everything in him screamed to just let it happen, except for his mind, which hadn't been totally drained of all its blood just yet. He knew she had just gotten out of a messed up relationship and Jasina had a very stressful night. If anything happened between them tonight, she would regret it and he would be taking advantage. Clearing his throat, he caught her hand, hating himself for stopping her, but Randy knew something would happen if he didn't.

"Jas, I think I'll just head home and take a shower." He rumbled, his voice even lower if that was possible, knowing it would be a very cold one.

"Oh." Jasina blinked as all the desire flooded from her body, taking a few steps back. "Sorry, go ahead. Thanks for everything, Randy."

Of course he didn't want to sleep with her! What the hell was Jasina thinking? Mark had probably ruined her for all men and she hated him even more for it!

"We'll see you tomorrow and don't worry about the mess, I'll clean it up." When he nodded, Jasina watched him walk out of the bathroom, dropping her head, debating if she should drown herself now and get it over with. "Fuck me..."

Randy appeared back in the bathroom door, frowning. "Look, it's not that...I...we..." He took a deep breath. "You already know I like you Jasina a lot, and I'm pretty sure you also know I'm attracted to you, and I think you're attracted to me as well. I don't want to rush into anything with you or do something you might regret, or I could be way off base here, but...that's that and I'm not trying to rush, or push, I just want you to know I'm a patient guy." He NEVER rambled, this was definitely a first for Randy.

"I-It's fine..." Jasina stammered with a hesitant smile, letting him know everything was alright. "You don't have to explain yourself, Randy. I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. You're absolutely right. I just got out of a relationship and you don't want to be the rebound. But you are wrong about one thing," She paused to step toward him, their eyes locking. "I wouldn't regret anything that might've or could've happened between us. I'm not that buzzed." She stepped away, holding her hands up, which were sticky with sweets. "I'm not in any rush either."

Randy smiled saliently, nodding. "Me either...Well I am, but I'm not, I'm male and going home for a shower. I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked softly, reaching out to grab her hand, not caring if it was sticky. "If you still want to come with Arielle and me that is. No pressure."

"We're spying on your Mom, this is just wrong." Gary whispered in a groan.

"Ssshhhh..."

"Of course, I told you I'd come along and I wouldn't mind spending the day on the beach." Jasina smiled and knew some fresh ocean water would do her some good, squeezing his hand before leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for everything, Randy. You really are a great guy and, just so you know, I feel the same way." She knew that would get a grin out of him and released his hand, watching him walk away from the door with a wistful sigh.

"Alright, she's getting a bath and he's leaving."

Arielle closed the door quietly and shook her head, unsure how she felt about her Mom being interested in Randy or vice versa. She stared at Gary, smiling dreamily when he bent down to lightly kiss her. Gary was a bit shocked and pleased when Arielle pounced him, catching her as they fell back onto the bed together.

"Night kids." Randy called through the window.

Arielle let out a startled yelp, jumping off her boyfriend and looking towards the half-closed window. "Not cool Randy."

Randy laughed as he walked toward his apartment, whistling.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

As promised, Jasina joined Randy and Arielle out for a fun-filled day at the beach –Gulf of Mexico-, though she had brought her laptop in case she got bored and wanted to work on some articles. She sat in the sand under the umbrella, wearing a jean skort along with a lavender halter top that showed off her bare shoulders and hugged her body nicely, black sandals on her feet. She brought sunscreen and watched as Randy instructed Arielle on what to look at and what to do, wanting her to notice every little thing around her.

Jasina just sat there with her black shades on, soaking up the sun and squishing her toes in the sand, cake and chocolate free. Randy didn't have to instruct Arielle much in the way of looking for detail, the girl picked up on a lot when focused. He did make her lug around his bag through the sand though, mainly as a joke since she had insisted she was his grunt.

"Come on, come on...faster..."

"Okay, I'm not the grunt...I'm an assistant." Arielle grumbled, handing the bag over. "Take the bag."

Laughing, Randy took the bag, busy climbing a hill of sand in bare feet and a pair of jean cut-offs, wanting to see from the higher viewpoint. Gary was busy in the water enjoying himself, waving over at Arielle with a smile, tired after a busy day of job hunting with Jasina. The woman just didn't give up and they had time to kill while Arielle was in school.

Jasina slowly let the shades slide down her nose to get a better look at the fine specimen her daughter currently interned under, knowing there wasn't any harm in looking. Or undressing him with her eyes. Jasina had to get a grip as she pushed the shades back over her eyes, chuckling when Randy had to help Arielle up the hill since she had worn flip-flops. She was so busy watching them that she didn't look at the caller ID when her phone went off, simply flipping it open.

"Hello?"

"Is Arielle going to turn her cell back on anytime soon?"

Jasina instantly sat up on the beach and felt every part of her body turn cold, goose bumps erupting on her skin. "I'm not sure, she's busy working right now for her internship." Jasina was proud of herself that she hadn't let her voice shake or crack once, nodding when Gary told her he was going to get some water out of the cooler. "I'll let her know you called, alright?" This was as civil as Jasina was being, frowning when she saw the busty blonde near Randy and Arielle, rolling her eyes. "Anything else, Mark? I have a job too you know." She sort of snapped, her mood completely ruined and felt like covering up suddenly.

"Uh huh, which is why you sound like you're somewhere crowded? Last I knew, darlin', your job was sitting behind a desk unless out on assignment with your...partner." Even though the sentence was technically insulting, he used the same tone she was using "Just tell her I called, alright?"

"As a matter of fact I am out with my...partner." She practically purred it out, standing up from the sand to dust herself off, the breeze suddenly feeling wonderful. "And I'll tell her you called, but don't expect her to call you back. She doesn't like you right now after what you did to her at her golden birthday party." She was acting as if she was talking about the weather, knowing it would get under his skin, pressing her finger to her lips when Gary approached.

"I believe you, but I don't like the fact that you went behind my back and invited Gary when you know how I feel about him." The anger was creeping into Mark's tone, hardly believing how self-righteous she could be, the woman truly was a piece of work.

"You're right; I did go behind your back. I've done a lot of things wrong, but one thing I didn't do was DESTROY my daughter's ONLY golden birthday! YOU DID! You couldn't handle Arie being happy for one goddamn second of her life without knowing every fucking aspect of it! Trish even knew about Gary!" She knew he was getting pissed off, but so was she and Jasina was through backing down from him. "Gary was a KID when all of that shit went down Mark and it wasn't even his idea! It was our precious little girl's! You know the one that just turned seventeen and you completely embarrassed in front of all her friends and family? Yeah, it was HER idea and Gary has made drastic changes in his life. If you would just remove the stick out of your ass for TWO SECONDS, then MAYBE Arielle would've come to you instead of me. But no, she couldn't go to you because you have a temper that scares her, legitimately SCARES her. You know what kind of life this boy has had and yet you STILL blame him when it wasn't just HIM, YOU ASSHOLE! It was ALL THREE of them and we forgave Arie and Toni, but yet you can't forgive Gary. Why is that? Is it because he was four years older than the girls? It doesn't fucking matter! Age is just a number! They were KIDS! So go ahead, stew about it for the next five years. I'm done with you and I'm done with this conversation, you no good piece of shit!" She ended the call and threw her phone in the sand, needing a moment alone as she stalked off with tears in her eyes.

All Gary could do was stand there, feeling like he was the lowest piece of scum on earth because he knew this was because of him. Because he was in Arielle's life. He felt his stomach churning almost violently, the feeling intensifying when he looked up towards the sand hill and spotted Arielle staring back at him. Just able to make out the frown on her face, Gary knew she was wondering what had happened. He was making things worse.

While Jasina was in her heated phone call with Mark, Randy and Arielle were approached by a strange woman that looked plastic from head to toe. "You are way too young to have that old of a daughter." Her white dazzling smile nearly blinded both of them.

"I'm not his daughter."Arielle shot back, looking down at some notes she'd taken while following Randy around.

Randy arched an eyebrow at the busty blond, clearing his throat when she purposefully adjusted her barely-there bikini top for his obvious benefit and avoided taking in the fleshy spectacle. "Excuse us..."

"What's the rush, handsome? I'm Jillian."

"He's not interested." Arielle stated sweetly, though it didn't reach her acid green eyes.

"So, are you a professional photographer or what?" Jillian wasn't going to let this little girl interfere with her flirting. "Cause I'm, like, a model part-time."

Randy and Arielle both rolled their eyes, busy setting up his tripod.

"I could pose for you." Jillian offered in a syrupy voice.

"Sure, down by the docks." Randy said deadpan.

"That's, like, a mile away!" Jillian gaped, looking at the distance he wanted her to walk.

"This camera has a very strong zoom." Randy said coaxingly, winking.

"And the distance will only highlight you." Arielle added helpfully with an encouraging nod.

"Alright then..."

Arielle watched the woman walk away, more like bounce, and shook her head. "I can't believe she fell for that..." She muttered, trying not to laugh, but that quickly dissipated when Arielle glanced up where her Mom was, frowning. "Mom looks pretty...annoyed."

Randy took a look in the camera, arching an eyebrow. "She's on the phone."

"Probably my Dad..." Arie whispered modestly.

Randy looked at Arielle, frowning. "Come on, we'll take a few pictures, let your Mom cool down and then go see her." He suggested, having a sinking feeling Arielle was dead on about who Jasina was talking to…or in this case yelling at.

Nodding stiffly, Arielle was definitely going to be keeping her phone on silent for awhile longer yet.

Jasina cooled down for a good ten minutes before finally returning, seeing how glum Gary was and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, knowing he probably overheard her conversation with Mark . "I know what you're thinking and you're wrong, Gary. This isn't your fault. What you and the girls did was a very long time ago. Mark needs to remember you were just a kid and he was lucky his ass didn't go to jail for assaulting a minor. Be that as it may," She took a deep breath, pausing. "Mark is very stubborn and only wants what's best for Arielle, but he's so overbearing and overprotective that he takes it too far. Last night was absolutely ridiculous and until he apologizes for what he did, Arielle will not speak to him. I know her. She loves you unconditionally and if her father can't understand that, then she might just push him completely out of her life until he CAN understand. So don't go blaming yourself for this. This is his fault for not being able to let the past go and moving on, understand me?"

"How does he apologize if she's not speaking or takin' his calls?" Gary mused aloud, shrugging when Jasina gave him a curious look. "I'm not saying she should just accept his apology because you're right, he did her wrong and hurt her pretty damn bad. I think he needs to back off and give her time to come to him instead of buggin' you."

"Did we miss anything?" Arielle called as she ran towards them, Randy walking behind her more slowly, his expression neutral.

"Mmm…Who was the blonde?"

"GARY!"

"I didn't mean it that way!" He actually hid behind Jasina when Arielle's eyes flashed deadly.

"Yeah I'm curious about the blonde too?" Jasina said sweetly, though it didn't reach her cold teal eyes, having already gathered her things together. "And no, I was just dealing with an asshole, nothing you need to worry about Arie."

"Dad called didn't he?"

"An asshole, just as I said."

Arielle sighed and looked at her cell phone, seeing she had at least ten missed phone calls, countless voicemails and even text messages. "Dad TEXTED?"

"Apparently." Jasina was already heading up to the car, her day at the beach completely ruined by first the blonde and then Mark.

"Dad doesn't text; he must know what a jackass he was."

Arielle thumbed through the text messages, wondering if he knew that apologizing over a cell phone wasn't considered an actual apology. Probably not, it had taken her forever to teach him just how to use a cell. They had never gotten to the etiquette and Arielle promptly deleted the messages. If her father wanted to really apologize to her, he would do it to her face when she was ready, not a moment sooner.

"Her name is Jillian, she thinks she's a model, and I'm pretty she was extremely surgically and cosmetically enhanced." Randy explained deadpan. "Not to mention retarded." He added for effect, smirking.

"Where'd she go when you guys pointed?" Gary asked mildly curious.

"To the docks, she thinks she's getting her photo taken." Randy answered simply, blue eyes flashing wickedly.

"That's a mile away!" Gary gaped, blinking at Randy while Arielle smiled evilly.

Jasina smirked when she heard that, feeling a little better, though Mark had gotten to her again. She couldn't let him do it anymore, it wasn't worth it. Being hurt by him constantly would only crush her and Jasina refused to let it happen, wanting to move on with her life.

"You might have to call him, Arie." Jasina hated saying that, but at the same time, Mark was her father and he did deserve at least the opportunity to apologize appropriately. "Though, I personally think it should be done in person."

"I'll get right on that." Arielle snorted derisively. "Mom, it hasn't even been twenty four hours and you want me to actually go SEE him? Fuck him."

"Arielle." Randy chastised almost hesitantly.

"Excuse my language." Arielle apologized, correcting herself. "Screw him."

Gary was hiding a smile; that was his fiery woman.

"I love him, but I'm not ready to be nice or hear his apology. If he was sorry, he wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"You're right, I can't argue with that. Gary just made a comment earlier that if you don't take his calls or see him, he's not going to be able to apologize." Arielle was right, what the hell was Jasina thinking? "Never mind sweetheart, you'll be ready for his apology when YOU'RE ready and not a second longer. You take your time, I don't care how long it takes and I have decided I'm buying you a damn car. You don't need his SUV and if he still wants to give it to you, then you'll have two damn cars. Come on, we got some car shopping to do."

"Mom, don't take this wrong, but...that's a bit overwhelmin', can we hold off on the car thing? I know I kept sayin' I really wanted one, and I do, but...I got all that stuff from you yesterday and getting a car from you on top of it...I know you got money, but...it's...awkward for me." Arielle was blushing furiously at this point, glad Gary had occupied himself by people watching while Randy was pretending not to listen and snapping pictures of people near the water. "Besides, where do I go right now? I needed the car for college and I'm not going for another year so...I can just hitch rides with you, it gives us more time together."

Now THAT was a smooth recovery, Randy observed amazedly.

"Are you sure?" Jasina smiled proudly and pulled her daughter in for a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. "You are one special girl, you know that?" When Arielle grinned, Jasina ruffled her hair a little, chuckling. "Come on, it's getting late and..." She groaned when her cell phone went off again, once again not bothering to look at the caller ID. "What the hell do you want, asshole?"

"Well hello to you too." Trish blinked, not expecting that greeting.

"Shit sorry, Trish! I thought you were-"

"Never mind that, I was just calling to check on my two favorite girls."

"If I had laid it on as thick as you, my Mom would have called bullshit." Randy whispered when Arielle walked over to him, noticing her hand was intertwined with Gary's and smiled.

He rather liked the boy now that he had spent some time around him and thought they made a good match. Of course they were young and so much could change, but given the fact that they had been devoted to each other for years now...He was hoping they lasted. Randy looked up, finding Jasina smiling and snapped a picture, thinking she hadn't noticed.

"No idea what you're talkin' about." Arielle grinned innocently.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Jasina groaned, asking Trish to call her later since they were getting ready to leave the beach and hated when Randy snapped random photos of her, smirking. "I bet you have this shrine up in your room with all these pictures of me. I'm gonna walk in there and see it one day, I just know it." She joked, rolling her eyes and didn't realize that Randy did have some sort of photo shrine going on, though Jasina would never believe it. "You have no idea how much I loathe having my-" Randy snapped another one. "Picture taken."

"Sure, a shrine dedicated to the beauty that is you."

Actually, it was more like a scrapbook and Randy couldn't help it. He appreciated the fact that she was a beautiful woman and didn't take a bad picture, which made her a photographer's dream. If she ever decided to take up modeling, he had some shots she could have used for a portfolio.

"Why do you hate having your picture taken?" Why anyone hated it, he always wondered, finding it odd. "Don't you know that pictures are all the moments you'll rarely remember captured forever?"

Now THAT was smooth, Arielle observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright Arie, I just heard your stomach growl, let's go to the snack bar." Gary laughed, groaning when she began pulling him and scooped her up into his arms.

"Actually, we're getting ready to leave; we'll stop somewhere to get something to eat." She promised, stopping Gary from carting Arielle off, smirking. "I'll go wherever you want." She groaned when they both shouted 'Arby's' at the same time, waving them off. "Alright, you got it." Jasina slid in the passenger seat while Randy slid behind the wheel, buckling up. "You don't mind stopping for the kids do you?" She asked sweetly, hearing his stomach rumble suddenly and giggled. "Apparently, Randy is hungry too."

Randy smirked "I'm actually in the mood for a Jamocha shake, I just worry it might wind up in my hair…"

"Speaking of...why was there chocolate syrup on the kitchen wall?" Arielle asked innocently.

"Also on one of the dining room chairs..." Gary put his two cents in.

"And I even found icing dried on the toilet seat, what the hell you two?"

"So, where's the nearest Arby's?" Randy coughed, trying to change the subject and kept his eyes on the road, aware his ears were doing the telltale reddening again.

"Randy decided to be cheeky and started flicking forks full of icing at me because he was trying to cheer me up. So I started flicking them back and...It snowballed. We destroyed most of your cake, saved a quarter of it." Jasina flashed her daughter an apologetic smile, though it had totally been worth it just to see the look on Randy's face. "Your mother hasn't had fun like that in years." She admitted openly and honestly meant it, not remembering ever having a food fight with Mark.

"Now that's not how I remember it, you took the first throw of frosting." Randy shot back playfully. "All I did was mention something about teenagers and how they like to…trick their parents, next thing I know I have icing flying at me."

"Mom, you threw icing at him...for shame!" Arielle was trying not to laugh while shaking her finger.

"She got me in the nose..."

"I'm not asking about the chocolate." Gary clamped a hand over Arielle's mouth when she went to ask. "Neither are you." When she began talking behind his hand, he replaced it with his lips, kissing her closed-mouthed since her Mom was right there, but it made her forget whatever she was going to say or ask.

Chocolate...Jasina immediately recalled the slow chocolate rivulets running down Randy's chest, suddenly making her crave chocolate. She really didn't like her daughter sometimes, immediately taking that back. It was her own fault for squirting him with Hershey's chocolate syrup. What the hell had she been thinking?

'Self torture.' Jasina thought and smiled when they arrived at Arby's, hoping they had a chocolate shake. She needed something to diffuse her heightened desire. "Do they have anything chocolate?" She asked when Randy turned to her, immediately flushing at his gaze. "How about we just go to Wendy's for me? I want a frosty suddenly."

"Okay, where's a Wendy's?" Randy asked, confusion in his tone, not sure if Arby's had chocolate shakes.

"Other side of this road, few miles down." Arielle answered helpfully.

"This means about twenty minutes." Gary teased, learning quickly that Randy was still trying to find his way around Houston. "You got a GPS, why don't you use it?"

"Because I am male and males don't use maps, GPS or ask for directions." Randy joked, stopping at a red light.

"I'll point you in the right direction after you get their orders and yours...unless you want Wendy's too." Jasina shrugged when Randy raised an eyebrow, knowing he had no idea why she was craving chocolate so badly, sighing gently.

The kids each got a cheddar roast beef large combo, but they weren't allowed to eat in the car. Randy decided Wendy's sounded better and went in that direction, following where Jasina told him to go. Once they had a large frosty with combos of their own, they all headed back to Jasina's to chow, Arielle complaining that her stomach was starting to eat itself.

"That is gross, Arie."

"I can't help it Mom, I think I'm still growing." Arielle groaned, rubbing her stomach.

"If you grow anymore, you're going to be taller than me." Gary grunted, raising a brow at his girlfriend.

"Is that a problem?" Arielle shot back, her own eyebrow raised.

"Of course not, I love you no matter what, even if I have to stand on a chair to kiss you." Gary joked, smirking.

"Oh funny, I'm not growing THAT much. It was that extra pinch you gave me."

"Wait, extra? I only saw the...Oooohhhh...Never mind." Randy decided to stay out of THAT conversation.

They arrived back at the apartment about twenty minutes later, traffic horrendous and Jasina noticed the motorcycle in the parking lot before anyone else. This definitely wasn't good. They all stepped out of Randy's car, Jasina instantly walking over to stand beside Gary.

"Take Randy upstairs with the food." Jasina ordered in his ear, seeing Arielle was still oblivious to her father. "Now."

"Hey Randy, I wanna show you something." Gary knew better than to argue with Jasina, having spotted what she did and headed upstairs to the apartment with the food, leaving Jasina and Arielle alone.

"Arielle, your father is here." Jasina announced, causing her daughter to tense and could clearly see she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. "Go upstairs with Gary and Randy. I'll send him away."

Arielle just nodded and ran up the stairs of the apartment building, refusing to see her Dad right now.

Could their day get any worse?

Mark's eyes were narrowed behind his shades, wearing black skintight jeans and a leather vest with nothing beneath it, a silver chain around his neck. His hair was hanging lose beneath a bandana, black fingerless gloves on his hands and steel toed black boots on his feet. Steve had called him a pissed off storm cloud earlier and he felt like one, especially after seeing Gary and Randy getting out of what was Randy's SUV, heading inside.

"One happy family." He snorted crossly.

"If you think so, sure." Jasina smiled, her temper simmered from their earlier conversation, hoping she could maintain her composure long enough to send him on his way. She wanted to have a peaceful evening with her daughter, Gary and Randy, but Mark couldn't seem to let her have anything she wanted these days. "What are you doing here, Mark? Arielle doesn't want to talk to you, she's not ready yet. And I told her you called and she got all of your text messages and voicemails. Blowing up her phone isn't going to work, I hope you know that."

"This would be the reason I'm here." Mark said flatly before gesturing to the SUV beside his Harley. "I had Steve bring this earlier but no one was here." Even though he wasn't pleased with his daughter's choice, he wasn't going to deny her what he got for her birthday. That and he hoped it would convince her to at least talk to him. "I want to see her, Jasina."

The SUV wasn't exactly what Jasina expected, but Mark was an old-fashioned type of guy who believed in working to achieve what a person wanted. It was sleek black and had new tires, paint job and Jasina walked over to look through the window, seeing the interior was decent as well. Arielle would simply love it, but Jasina wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to her Dad yet.

"What do you want me to do, Mark? Go up there and drag her out forcefully so you can see her? She's hurt right now; you hurt her. She's not ready to see you or talk to you yet." He probably thought Jasina was holding Arielle hostage from him or something, which was completely ridiculous, but Mark had done A LOT of ridiculous things lately.

"I want you to go up there, tell her I'm here and I'd like her to at least spare me a minute. You can even be with her if she does come down." Mark offered, not missing her inspection of the SUV. Steve had rebuilt the body entirely; the thing would take a beating and keep on ticking. Mark had redone the engine himself, this beast was a beauty and he knew Arielle had gotten a love of big rides from him, considering he wasn't exactly standard issue size. "C'mon Jasina, I'm not askin' you to walk into crowded traffic. Just...tell her I want to apologize."

"Why should I do this for you?" Jasina demanded coldly, folding her arms in front of her chest and could see the desperation in his green eyes. "You completely destroyed her birthday and embarrassed her in front of everyone she knows. Instead of waiting until everyone left, you just had to cause a scene and completely wrecked her party." Jasina still couldn't believe it, lowering her eyes away from the man she loved. "And you can blame me all you want, but I did absolutely nothing wrong. You didn't tell me who I could or couldn't invite, so that's your fault. Rationalize and try to turn it around on me all you want, but I'M not the one who destroyed our daughter's special night. You did. So no, I'm not going up there and asking her to talk to you. When she's ready, she'll contact you, but I'm not going to force her to talk to you. She'll do it on her OWN time and make her OWN decision."

"You really are the most self-righteous bitch I have ever known. You honestly think you did nothing wrong, don't you?" Mark shook his head, knowing seeing Arielle was definitely out of the question today. If he lingered much longer, he might actually become a woman abuser because he felt a very bad urge to just slap some sense into this woman. "Yeah, I blew up and totally fucked everythin' up, I was wrong to do that to Arie, I know I hurt her bad." Mark admitted it, he was in the wrong. "But at least I will admit it when I fucked up; you'll just sit there on your high horse and rationalize every little thing you do so it comes out all roses." The only thing she ever admitted to being totally messed up about was her previous addiction to drugs and alcohol; everything else was apparently squeaky clean and he was Satan.

"What exactly did I do that was so terrible? I'm not self-righteous! I have learned to cope with what happened in the past, unlike you, which is why we're not together anymore. I know how to see grey areas in every situation while you're either black or white." Jasina reasoned, refusing to feel guilty about inviting Gary because she honestly believed she wasn't in the wrong. "They were kids back then and I can see that. I wanted Arielle to have a memorable evening and when she told me about Gary, I admit I was skeptical. But Mark I want our daughter to be happy and he does just that. He's a good guy who's had a hard life; you have no idea what he's been through." Jasina knew this was pointless to discuss because Mark would never understand her point of view. "He reminds me of when I was little, growing up in a fucked up family and hitting complete rock bottom before having to build myself back up again. All I was trying to do was make Arielle happy and I even went to Trish after Arielle asked me if we could invite Gary to the party. She agreed that whoever Arielle wanted at her party should be acceptable, no matter what they did in the past. And let's not forget that TONI was involved in the kidnapping too and you forgave her. So why the hell is it so hard for you to just forgive Gary and give him a second chance? He loves her Mark and, whether you like it or not, someday he might just be your son-in-law. Think about that. Do you really want to push Arielle away just because of one mistake this boy made all those years ago when he was a kid? You have a bigger heart than that, I know you do."

"You could have TOLD me, Jasina, BEFORE the party. Given me time to adjust to the fuckin' idea and calm down instead of just lettin' it happen like that. Instead, you went running to your girlfriend for permission. She agreed that whoever Arielle wanted at her party should be acceptable," Mark mimicked, wondering if she was truly this thick in the head and he had missed it for all these years. "You know I would've calmed down, but instead of doing the smart thing, instead of being honest, you went behind my back and kept it to yourself...like you ALWAYS do."

"We were going to tell you today about him. Arielle didn't want you finding out until AFTER her party because she was afraid you wouldn't give her the car." When his eyes widened, Jasina held her hands up, shaking her head. "I swear I didn't say anything to her. She's not that stupid or thick, Mark. She knew you were getting her a car because she needs one. Maybe we should've told you the truth, but we honestly thought there was no way you'd allow Gary to attend her party. And no, I don't know if you would've calmed down because you don't see the whole picture and I wasn't taking the chance in having Arielle's night destroyed. Even though it was anyway." They were never going to agree on anything, it was always a battle with Mark and Jasina was simply tired of it. "Hell, Randy didn't even show up because he knows you don't like him and Arielle personally invited him. She was sad when he didn't show up. He was right at my door as soon as we came back here and bought Arielle a cake because she couldn't even enjoy her real birthday cake, thanks to her father being an asshole."

Jasina wasn't taking the chance in having Arielle's night destroyed by not telling him and it wound up being destroyed ANYWAY because nobody had bothered to inform Mark that Gary was BACK in the picture. Mark knew he wasn't as pissed about Gary so much as Jasina being sneaky and going behind his back to everyone else. Yes, he didn't like Gary, but once he had calmed his ass down, Mark knew exactly who he was pissed about and it wasn't that boy.

"Whatever Jasina, go play house with them and keep on being your 'in the right' self, I'm done dealin' with you. When Arie's ready to talk, I'll talk to her; I just can't talk to you." Mark had to walk away; he had been an idiot for even coming here.

"Play house? No, there is no playing about it. I did what my daughter asked me to do and I would do it again in a split second. She's more important to me than you and I LOVE her more than you. I am sorry I crept around and didn't tell you he was back in her life." There she'd said it. She actually apologized and if he couldn't accept it; that was his problem. "But did you ever think that maybe, just MAYBE, we were TERRIFIED to tell you because we know how your temper is? I'm done dealing with you too; Arielle is practically grown up so we have nothing more to say to each other. Don't be mad at me just because our daughter trusted me with this Gary situation more than you."

Jasina walked away from him before the tears started, wiping a few away that fell, wondering if her heart would ever stop breaking over Mark. Shaking his head, he mounted his Harley and started it, revving the engine loud enough to make car windows vibrate before peeling out of the parking lot. If his temper was anywhere near as bad as they thought it was, Mark would have burnt down that apartment building by now.

"Bitch..." Mark muttered under his breath, torn in two because part of him still loved her and the other was royally angry at her.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Several weeks passed since the incident at Arielle's birthday party and she still hadn't spoken to Mark. Jasina hadn't brought him up and both women were fine with that, spending their time working and having fun. They had game nights every Friday where Trish and Steve came over, Jasina always inviting Randy and of course Gary was there with Arielle. Gary had gotten a job delivering newspapers at three in the morning, which was a bottom feeding position in the office, but he loved it.

He enjoyed getting up that early and going to work, bringing back a paycheck and tried giving Jasina a third of it since she was sheltering and feeding him. Jasina declined, simply telling him making Arielle happy was payment enough and as long as he did that, no payment was needed. Randy had taken Arielle out all over Houston and even to some cities over, Jasina not always accompanying them because she didn't want Arielle feeling like she was watching over her.

"Do you think Mom would be too opposed to me and Gary getting an apartment of our own?"

Randy actually botched his own shot when Arielle asked him that, turning to look at her, his blue eyes wide and startled. He was becoming use to...whatever role he played in their lives -friend was the word he was looking for-, though sometimes he felt like a bit more. Especially when Arielle sprung questions on him like this and Randy knew he wasn't a replacement father, but instead an older male who wasn't about to erupt and take out a portion of the population with his temper.

"Hmmm...I don't know. You'd have to talk to her about that, Arie." He murmured, wondering where THAT had come from. "Eager to move out?"

"Well, we both make money, and Mom doesn't let us pay for anythin'." Arielle said, remembering her conversation with Gary the previous night. "Besides, he's an adult and I'm practically an adult. I was just curious."

Gary had talked with Arielle late at night when he knew Jasina was sleeping, Randy staying over ninety percent of the time. He really liked Randy. The man was a stand-up guy, though he spoke his mind and wasn't afraid so spell things out for people. Gary really wanted to move out of Jasina's and get his own place because he felt like a burden, especially since Jasina wouldn't let him pay for anything.

He understood when it came to Arielle, but not him. Gary was just the boyfriend/future son-in-law and honestly wanted some privacy with Arielle. He didn't know how Jasina would react to them moving in together and hoped she understood since Arielle was going to be eighteen in a year anyway.

Then again, maybe she wouldn't.

Deciding a change of subject was in order, Arielle switched topics quickly; one thing she was very good at doing. "Trish said you put in a request to go abroad for a shoot." Arielle commented out of nowhere as Randy drove her home.

They had gone to the office to turn in some paperwork for an article and now he was planning on taking her to her Mom's before going to his place to use the darkroom, which Arielle was dying to see. However, Randy said flat-out she wasn't coming into his apartment. Mostly because Randy figured she'd wind up being there way too much and he was probably right.

That and Randy didn't need her seeing all his photos that he had hung up on his walls. They were reminders of where he had been yet, to her; they'd be the shit nightmares were made of. PLUS...she might find a little scrapbook filled with pictures of a single subject...no. Randy would have to make his place more suitable for guests; Jasina was going to have to get darkroom experience eventually with the internship.

"I might've."

"And requested to take along a few extra people." Arielle added, eyeballing him skeptically.

"No idea what you're talking about."

"You can't lie to me; I know you want to take us to Australia, more specifically, my Mom. She loves Australia, you know? But she's never been there."

"I know, she told me."

"So you DO want to take her!" Arielle had finally gotten over and accepted the fact her parents would never be together. She found Randy a suitable candidate for her Mom so...as long as they kept anything she didn't want to see away from her, Arielle was good with whatever it was they were.

"You are being very, very observant today, Arie."

She beamed.

"It's annoying." Randy groaned when she reached across the seat to smack him. "Hey, I'm driving!" After they had parked, Randy watched as Arielle shifted to stare at her SUV, which was insured, plated and everything else, but she had never touched it. "Can you drive?" Randy asked, suddenly curious.

"Not legally, I need a license." Arielle muttered, aching to get behind the wheel of her SUV. "I have a permit, why?"

"Have you been getting in your practice hours?" When Arielle shook her head, he smiled. "Well, why don't we take this stuff upstairs, you can get your keys and we'll go for a drive? You can haul MY ass around for a change." He suggested, eyes widening when Arielle squealed out excitedly.

Arielle nearly broke his door getting out of his car in her haste. Once they were on the road, Arielle could not believe how smoothly the SUV ran, knowing it had been rebuilt practically because Randy had mentioned something about this model not having some of the stuff this particular SUV had. She missed her Dad, but didn't even know where to start when it came to talking to him. Her feelings were still injured and Arielle hated what he had done to her, but this SUV definitely made the forgiveness a little easier.

"This thing is a beast, I'm calling it Beast." Arielle decided with a grin, eyes wide in wonder.

"Good name. I call mine Bitch."

"Why bitch?"

"Because she has a mind of her own." Randy said deadpan.

"That's sexist, Randy." Arielle snorted, rolling her eyes.

"GET IN YOUR LANE!" Randy's heart nearly leapt in his throat when Arielle swerved out of her lane temporarily, passing by a local diner, not noticing who was sitting outside at one of the benches.

"Isn't that Arie's car?" Steve asked, looking up from his lunch as an SUV stopped at a red light, sitting with Mark outside a diner on a bench, both men not in the mood to deal with a crowded diner today, opting to eat outside.

Mark cocked an eyebrow, grinning when he realized it was, spotting Arielle in the driver's seat. He had wondered if she would use the SUV or just let it sit. "Yeah, it is."

"And that must be her driver's instruc...or not…" Steve trailed off and lowered his eyes to his sandwich when he saw exactly who was with Arielle.

It was Randy Orton, obviously contributing to Arielle already very extensive driving lessons.

**~!~**

"Soo how are things with Randy?"

Trish had decided to take Jasina out for lunch so they could catch up without the men and kids eavesdropping. "He's good, we're taking things really slow because he wants me to be fully over the asshole before engaging in anything with me." Jasina couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face whenever Randy came up, sipping her water.

That and she didn't call Mark by his first name, always referring to him as asshole since it suited him better.

"Steve said asshole has been a complete bear at work, nearly intolerable."

"Steve might end up having to change jobs because asshole can't grow up." Both women giggled before clicking their glasses together.

"You know Randy put in a special assignment request to go somewhere." Trish informed innocently, smiling from ear to ear. "Of course it wouldn't be until after the baby comes and the wedding...Have any idea why he might do that?"

"No idea, why? Where is he going?"

Smirking, Trish sipped her apple juice. "Australia."

Jasina nearly choked on her water, blinking. "What?"

Now Trish was beaming. "And he's requested to take a few people along with him."

"Who?" Jasina demanded, coughing from her beverage going down the wrong tube.

"No idea, guess we'll just have to wait and see won't we?"

Randy was going to Australia and wanted to take some people of his choice with him. She parted ways with Trish after their lunch, having a few errands to run on her own. No matter how hard Jasina tried, she couldn't get what Trish said out of her head, wondering if the woman was screwing with her. Trish had a tendency of playing match-maker, though Jasina had turned her down with every blind date Trish attempted.

She enjoyed spending her time with Randy and now...he was leaving. Jasina was happy for him, but at the same time he had been her rock through the past couple of weeks, helping her through the breakup with Mark and slowly mending her back together. She had to find a way to keep him in Houston and so far nothing came to mind as she pulled into a parking lot, cutting the engine and headed inside the building.

"Hey Jasina, been awhile since you've been in here."

"Yeah I know, I need a little trim if you have time, Billie."

Deciding she needed some kind of drastic change, Jasina put her other measly errands on hold for another day and went to get her hair done. Billie was her hair stylist and the only one Jasina trusted with her hair, smiling when the woman nodded. Normally, Jasina would make an appointment ahead of time, but she hadn't planned on getting this done and Billie was always accommodating.

"Sure take a seat, I'm almost done with my perm." Billie stated with a smile. "We have loads to catch up on."

Getting her hair done would make Jasina feel better; choosing to let Billie do a complete makeover if she wanted to. She had to make herself look more beautiful and sexy. It was the only way to convince Randy not to go Australia. As selfish as it was, Jasina needed him; her feelings for Randy were increasing as the days passed by and she would fall completely apart if he left now. While Billie did her hair, Jasina filled her in on almost everything that happened, even including her split with Mark. Billie wasn't that shocked and said straight out that Jasina deserved a man who would give her everything she wanted. It wasn't that Billie didn't like Mark, but she also knew his personality and honestly thought he'd changed when Jasina came back into his and Arielle's lives.

Apparently not.

Jasina had just finished getting her hair done, getting just a trim with a fresh dye job on the blonde streaks, adding a little red to it for style, when her phone began vibrating against her side. She groaned at the name on the caller ID, wondering what the hell was going on now. Mark hadn't called her since he dropped Arielle's SUV off, so what the hell did he want this time?

"What do you want?" She said by way of greeting, thanking Billie and gave her a ten dollar tip before walking out the door. She actually had to hold the phone away from her ear when he began screaming at her, only making out the words Randy, Arielle and driving. "STOP YELLING, ASSHOLE!"

"What the FUCK is that prick doing with Arielle?" Mark demanded irately, knowing damn well Arielle had only her driver's permit when she had moved out and needed to log in hours before applying for her license.

Always figuring it would be HIM she did the logging with, not that bastard who seemed to enjoy playing part-time daddy, Mark was livid! Mark didn't care if Steve was mortified by his outburst, refusing to let this slide, steam rolling out of his ears figuratively. Steve loved Mark like a brother, but he was backing away, embarrassed beyond all belief that his best friend was doing this, attracting a load of attention to himself from the people walking by.

"She's driving around with him in the passenger side, why aren't you fucking with them?!"

"I didn't know he was giving her driving lessons! Arielle was interning with him and Randy probably offered to help her with the lessons so she can get her license! Don't yell at me because you couldn't handle your temper and pissed your daughter off! It's not my fault, asshole!" Jasina was tired of defending Randy and knew she would have to do it as long as she was breathing, scowling. "Arielle can drive with whoever the hell she wants to and she happens to LIKE Randy, so deal with it and get over yourself!"

Mark hung up on her, knowing she wasn't going to do anything except defend that little prick that was slowly but surely taking over HIS position, his job, his role: Arielle's father. Randy had already taken up as Jasina's lover and he found himself crushing his cell phone in a suddenly clenched fist. Turning, he looked for Steve and found his friend absolutely nowhere, letting out another loud string of curses.

"Selfish, inconsiderate, no good little bastard..." Jasina was furious as she mumbled under her breath, slamming her car door hard enough to nearly crack the windshield.

Of course he would call just to ruin her day!

Jasina was done with the crying, she was just plain pissed off now and decided she was changing her number as soon as possible. Only people she loved and cared about would have it. She definitely didn't feel anything but anger and hatred for her ex anymore. Walking into her apartment, Jasina decided to cook spaghetti for dinner, something they hadn't had in awhile and got started after kicking her heels off.

"I don't think I did that bad, considering I haven't driven in about three months." Arielle said as she and Randy walked into the apartment, inhaling. "Mmm food...and I didn't scratch the SUV, so that's a good thing."

"You nearly hit a semi." Randy wasn't sure he would ever recover from her driving in the wrong lane because she had been distracted, pretty sure he'd had a mild heart attack.

"Hey! I'm used to drivin' little beat up cars on back roads, that semi shouldn't have been there!"

"Uh huh, shame on him."

"Hey you guys, dinner is almost ready." Jasina announced, walking out of the living room, her special sauce on the stove simmering. She wore a simple pair of yellow cotton shorts with a black and yellow tank top. "Arielle, will you go wake Gary up and ask if he's hungry? Randy, would you mind setting the table for me?"

She was already handing him plates and silverware, knowing he would do almost anything for her. Jasina hoped he would agree not to go to Australia, wondering how to bring THAT conversation up. Randy set the table, but didn't set himself a place, passing her back the extra plate and silverware.

"I have a bunch of photos I have to develop, Jas." He said apologetically.

Randy had been spending more and more time with her and the kids, taking a bunch of pictures, but hadn't taken the time to develop them. Not that he regretted all the time he

spent with them, but Trish had politely reminded him he did have to occasionally turn in a 'pretty picture', his ears turning red as he recalled the smile she had given him, a knowing smile. That woman was evil.

"Oh okay." Jasina understood that Randy had deadlines just like her, not upset, but wasn't about to let him walk out that door without taking some spaghetti with him. "Hold on." She got a tuber ware bowl out and gave him a healthy serving, snapping it into place before handing it over. "Thank you for taking Arielle driving today. You didn't have to do that." She had gotten used to him eating with them and wondered if he was trying to give her space by using his work as an excuse.

"How did you know he took me driving?"

"Moms don't actually HAVE superpowers." Randy said, arching a curious eyebrow down at her, fairly certain they hadn't seen her while out and about. He had been planning on telling her, unsure of what her reaction would be and now he knew. "Smells delish, thanks."

He bent down to kiss her cheek. Part of the reason Randy wanted to have everything done was because he was planning on talking Trish into letting them go BEFORE the baby came and the wedding. That was still quite some time down the road and there was no better time to go than now.

"Your father called me today and said he saw you driving down the road with Randy." Jasina simply said, her cheek burning from Randy's simple kiss, nodding at him while Arielle frowned at her.

"Was he...mad?"

Jasina shrugged, not wanting to upset Arielle. "You better eat Randy, your stomach just growled." She stated, ignoring Arielle's question and watched him bow his head, promising he would. "Good." She walked back over to the stove and began putting the food on the table so everyone could serve themselves, licking some sauce from her thumb just as Gary came out yawning loudly. "Hey sunshine, hungry?"

"Starvin'." Gary yawned, pulling a tank top on, wearing a pair of blue jeans. Because of his hours, he tended to sleep in; though he tried not to sleep unless everyone else was out of the apartment, he didn't like feeling lazy because he was asleep when everyone else was awake. "Smells good." He walked over to kiss Arie, then moved, knowing better to get between her and her food.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"You're leavin'?"

"I have to go work, I'll see you in the morning."

"Eat." Jasina chuckled when Randy saluted on his way out the door, instantly feeling sad as soon as he was out of sight.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

They sat down and had a nice quiet meal, Arielle dropping the subject of her father for the time being. Jasina wondered when Arielle was finally going to talk to her father, knowing it'd been just about a month since her birthday party fiasco. It wasn't her business, she was enjoying having Arielle with her anyway and figured Mark deserved whatever Arielle decided to do. She began cleaning up and blinked when both Gary and Arielle ushered her out of the kitchen.

"We're cleaning up."

"You cooked, we clean." Arielle ordered, shoving her mother down on the couch with a grin.

"No complaints here." Jasina watched them walk back into the kitchen and hoped they knew which tuber ware to use to put away the leftovers.

"I mentioned...what we were talkin' about to Randy." Arielle said quietly, not wanting her mom to overhear anything, not until she was ready to talk to her mom about the possibility of them getting their own place.

"What'd he say?"

"Talk to Mom."

Gary rolled his eyes, reaching over her head to pull down a container for the spaghetti.

"I really think she'll be okay with it, but then again maybe she won't. I don't know." Arielle was confused, chewing her bottom lip much like Jasina did when she was nervous. "I don't even know how to bring it up to her without getting her upset. My Dad has upset her enough already."

"Why don't you let me talk to her?" Gary suggested quietly, watching her emerald eyes widen and pressed a finger to her lips. "She's nothing like your Dad, she'll be understanding and if she doesn't agree with it, we'll respect her wishes until you're eighteen."

Arielle knew he was uncomfortable with living there and not being able to pay for anything except in terms of cleaning or fixing anything, providing Randy or the maintenance people didn't get to it first. She worried he might look for a place for himself, which brought on a whole new set of worries. It wasn't that Arielle didn't trust Gary because she loved him unconditionally, but having him live with her Mom kept them closer in a way and less temptation to find someone else.

"I think my parents might have screwed up my views on relationships..." Arielle muttered burying her face in his chest. "If you can talk to her...alright then." She whispered, knowing she would probably botch it somehow whereas Gary had a better way of getting people to listen to him.

Gary sighed heavily, knowing Arielle was worried that he would find someone else, but didn't she understand there was no one? If he wanted someone else, he couldn't easily had them, but Gary had stayed celibate for her, only having sex twice, and that was before he kidnapped her parents with Toni. He loved her, that ring on her finger was proof and Gary would prove it to her every day for the rest of his life if that's what it took.

"Your Dad doesn't know a good thing when he has it. I do." He pulled back, staring down into her sad eyes. "Even if I get my own place, you can come stay with me anytime and I know your Mom definitely won't mind that. She might only say no because you haven't graduated high school yet and that's only a few months away."

Nodding, Arielle pulled away in order to finish the clean-up, feeling much better. Gary had instantly understood what she about the relationship thing and instead of going on the defensive like anyone would have, he had understood and soothed her. She loved him so much it made her heartache at the thought of him even looking at another woman the way he looked at her. Once the kitchen was finished and looked sparkling clean the way Jasina had it before cooking, both Arielle and Gary walked out into the living room, seeing Jasina flipping through channels idly.

"Hey Jasina, can we talk to you for a minute?" He squeezed Arielle's hand, letting her know everything was fine and they had to get this over with.

"Sure." Jasina instantly shut the TV off, giving them her undivided attention, feeling her stomach clench at the look on her daughter's face. "Arie, what's going on sweetie?"

"She's scared to talk to you about this, so I'm going to do it." Gary sat down with Arielle on the love sofa, watching Jasina's eyes fill with worry. "It's nothing bad."

Jasina was thinking something along the lines of Arielle being pregnant, instantly relaxing when Gary said that. "Alright, I'm listening."

"Well, I really appreciate everything you've done for me, I just want you to know that. See, the thing is...we-"

"Mom, we want to get an apartment together."

Sometimes Gary didn't like Arielle's blurting.

Arielle slapped her hands over her mouth, shooting him an apologetic look; she hadn't been able to stop herself!

"I was going to get around to that, but yeah that's the main of it: we want to get our own place." Gary sighed, pulling Arielle's hands away from her face and squeezing gently, seeing how red she had gone.

"Not that we don't like livin' with you, Mom."

This was definitely not what Jasina was expecting and she needed a minute to digest this information, staring at both of them with wide jade eyes. Gary had a decent paying job with delivering papers and had shown over the past month he was dedicated. The man even helped around the apartment with cleaning and whatnot, which Jasina really appreciated. But Arielle was only seventeen and...Mark would blow a gasket bigger than the one he had at Arielle's party. Then again, Arielle was graduating in just a few short months and already had her own paying job...Jasina was very conflicted and didn't know how to react, clearing her throat.

"Umm...Arielle, I know you and Gary love each other. You know I'm all for it, I actually like him, which is something I thought would never happen."

What the hell was she supposed to do? Scream and holler at them about being too young to be in love and too young to live together? That would just drive Arielle away and, unlike Mark, Jasina refused to let that happen.

"If you truly feel you want to do this, I uhhh...I guess I have no problem with it..." Was she being a pushover or did she really believe the words that just spewed out of her mouth? "I'm just wondering what your father would say about this. He still has custody of you, Arielle..."

"I didn't even think about that..." Arielle trailed off thoughtfully, frowning.

So far, he hadn't pushed the custody issue when he could have. Mark could've dragged her kicking and screaming back home and even gone after Jasina for kidnapping. Though, it wouldn't have upheld for long, but still, he could've and didn't.

"Do you think we should talk to him?"

"Eventually yes, but I think it might be a good idea to wait until you at least graduate, Arie." Gary said honestly, knowing she wouldn't agree with him. "Then you're an adult in everything but age, you could become emancipated if you wanted too." Like he had, by necessity.

"I hate saying this, but there's no way your father will let you move in with Gary until you're eighteen. If I had custody of you, it would be a completely different story, but unfortunately I don't." Jasina frowned when her daughter's eyes filled with sadness, feeling her heart practically bleeding. "For some reason he's allowed you to stay here and if Gary wants to get his own place, I wouldn't have a problem with you staying with him some nights. You just have to make sure your grades stay up along with your internship." Those were her stipulations, responsibility before fun always. "But if your father found out you were staying with Gary alone..." Jasina shivered physically and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling a chill in the air. "We would definitely have to keep it from him..."

Gary remembered Mark quite well from that incident; the man had chased him and Arielle through the woods and shot him several times with a BB gun, at close range. He could only imagine what Mark would have done with an actual gun. But he wasn't some sixteen year old boy anymore, he was a man, and didn't like the idea of sneaking behind Mark's back with the man's daughter.

"He won't sit down and talk to me, would he?"

"Sure..." Arielle snorted, catching her Mom's eye. "With a loaded shotgun."

Jasina remembered what Mark said when he dropped her SUV off, wondering if he would sit down and talk to Gary about this. She didn't give him enough credit because he did have a scary temper and that wasn't necessarily fair to him. Jasina pursed her lips together thoughtfully, deciding that maybe they should give Mark the benefit of the doubt for once.

"You know, I think he just might."

"Really?" Gary hadn't expected to hear that, blinking.

"Yes, I really think he would. He's not even angry at you anymore I don't think, Gary. He was angry at the fact I kept you a secret and didn't warn him about you coming to the party." Jasina was starting to understand Mark a little more now that she thought about it, heaving a sigh. "Arie, it's time for you and your father to talk. If you want me there, I will be. I just want you to be happy and I know he does too. If you sit down and rationally talk about this, I'm sure he'll be understanding."

"Mom, did you hit your head today or something?" Arielle didn't believe her Mom for a second, knowing her Dad had a wicked temper and didn't want Gary ending up in the hospital.

"I'll call and arrange a meeting for all of us to sit down and talk calmly like adults. Trust me." She winked and stood up, seeing the fear in her daughter's eyes and knew they had to at least give Mark a chance. "Worse comes to worse, he blows his gasket and you end up doing what you want anyway."

Arielle and Gary exchanged looks, both of them pretty sure Jasina had been switched out today with an alien because she was acting odd... "Mom, maybe I should talk to Dad by myself." She said hesitantly. "You two can't even talk on the phone without hanging up on each other. This way him and I can sort out our own issues before I give him anymore. Please don't take this wrong, but if it's you he's really mad at, then he might take his pissy temper towards you out on me and Gary."

"Then again, your Mom can stop your Dad from strangling me if he loses his temper." Gary pointed out, remembering Mark storming toward him at the party, shivering slightly. "I'd feel better if she was there, baby doll..."

"He has a point, sweetheart."

Jasina raised an eyebrow and smiled when she reluctantly agreed to this meeting, leaving the room in case the conversation got out of hand. She ended up in her bedroom, closing the door behind her and sat on the bed. Taking a deep breath, Jasina dialed Mark's number and put the phone to her ear, rubbing the back of her neck as tension instantly rose.

She wondered if he would even answer her phone call after he called her up earlier yelling like a maniac. Mark had JUST gotten his new phone up and running when he heard it ringing, looking at the number, groaning, really wondering if he should answer it considering she had pissed him off to the point of destroying his last cell. Reluctantly, he took the call.

"What?"

"Arielle wants to have a meeting with you, if you're willing." She wasn't calling to make smarmy comments, doing this simply for her daughter and ignored his irritated tone. "And she wants me and Gary there. She wants to sit down like rational adults and discuss a few things with you. Are you willing to do this?"

It was a simple question and Jasina was being as polite as she could, feeling drained from all this fighting with Mark lately. She had a month break and then suddenly it had started again today when he called bitching her out for something she knew nothing about. He snorted, highly doubting Arielle wanted Jasina there so much as Jasina wanted to be there, the interfering bitch.

"Why do you have to be there?" Mark demanded, in no mood to see Jasina. He actually could handle seeing Gary face to face and not break the kid's nose. Jasina...he was going to have to get his blood pressure checked because she was driving him to new heights of crazy, which he had thought was impossible. "Is it because of Arie or because you just want to be there?"

"Arielle wants me there so you don't kill Gary."

There was no reason to lie to him and Jasina narrowed her eyes slightly. "She doesn't trust you with your temper and neither do I. She actually didn't want to talk to you, but I convinced her to do it because it's time to stop leaving you in the dark. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, but if you're going to be an asshole about this, then screw it." Jasina hadn't meant to get angry, but damn it that hurt and Jasina could already feel her body trembling slightly. "Just forget it, Mark." Her drained voice wasn't hidden this time and Jasina was trying very hard not to fall apart again, not while on the phone with him. "I'll tell her you can't do it."

"Makin' a habit of lyin' to her isn't very good parentin', Jasina." He said mockingly. "It's one thing to lie and hide shit from me, it's another to do it to her. I want to see her and if that means dealin' with you then whatever." Mark could behave and mind his manners when he absolutely had to and, if he wanted his daughter back in his life, then so be it. "When?"

"You wouldn't know what good parenting was if it bit you in the ass, you egotistical bastard!" Jasina hissed angrily, the ice clear in her voice as she stood up from the bed, trying not to explode. "And I DON'T lie to her. You were sounding like you couldn't do it because of me, so I was going to tell her just that." Mark was getting under her skin and Jasina felt like ripping his balls off, digging her nails into her palm. "When the hell is good for you, asshole?"

"Whenever bitch, I'm on vacation."

Mark smirked, knowing he had gotten under her skin and could have made it worse by pointing out his parenting skills were far superior to hers. He had been there for all over Arie's life, not just the teenage years. Even HE knew that would have gone too far and didn't say it though; that would have been a sure fire way to ensure the next time their paths crossed, she would kill him.

"Tomorrow, around lunchtime, we can meet somewhere public for lunch and I'll even buy."

"No, this can't be public." Jasina immediately cursed mentally when she heard the panic in her voice, knowing she had to recover. "We'll just come to the ranch, order something, whatever." She didn't mind being called a bitch, Jasina actually took it as a compliment, smiling coldly. "We'll be there around noon." Vacation...She should've made it early in the morning, but also knew how big of a bear he was when he got up in the mornings; afternoon definitely was a better idea. "And Mark? If I were you, I would think LONG and HARD before losing your temper around Arie again." She hung up, leaving him with that thought and tossed her phone to the side, needing a few minutes to slow her racing heart.

There was no way in hell that bitch was ever stepping foot on his ranch ever again. Mark tried calling her back only to find she wasn't answering it and left a voicemail informing her she wasn't welcome at his house and it was either at her place or somewhere public. Personally, he thought she was being a bit ballsy; he could do a lot of damage at his place. It was out of the way, no neighbors, and familiar territory.

"Losin' my mind, thinking like that..." He muttered, storming away before he destroyed his new phone.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Great." Jasina muttered, checking her voicemail an hour later and rubbed her temples, knowing Arielle wasn't going to like this. "Arie?" She called, walking out of her bedroom and saw them in the living room watching TV, holding up her phone. "You need to call your father and inform him that unless this meeting is at the ranch, it's not going down." He was NOT going to destroy HER stuff just because he couldn't keep his temper in check, screw that. "Please? Just explain to him that you'd be much more comfortable back at the ranch and NOT in public."

"Wait, I would?" Arielle blinked at her mother, wondering if she had lost it. "Wouldn't out in public be...safer?"

"More embarrassing as well." Gary piped in.

"He's not going to shoot you in public."

"There is that."

When Jasina got a look, Arielle just nodded. "Alright, fine, I'll call him. What'd he say when you told him you'd be there? Was he okay with that?"

"He said he doesn't want me anywhere near his fucking house, called me a bunch of names I am not repeating, and demanded to know why I had to be there with you. I told him simply that we were afraid he'd kill Gary, which is true." When Arielle nodded, Jasina sighed as she walked over and sat down on the couch. "Just call him and lay down the stipulations. If you really don't want me there..."

"I do." Gary immediately cut her off, looking over at his girlfriend. "We need her there, Arielle."

"He needs to grow up, stop calling me names and stop giving me attitude. You can tell him that too, if you want."

Nodding, Arielle got up and trudged back to her bedroom to make the call in privacy, really wishing her parents could work out their personal issues. Or at least pretend to like each other because she didn't want to be caught in the middle of their back and forth. She wondered if her Dad would ever even try to reconcile with her Mom, remembering how he had once said she was the only woman he could ever want or love.

What the hell had happened to that?

Arielle walked out exactly a half an hour later with swollen eyes and blowing her nose, Jasina's heart breaking all over again. She didn't get up to comfort her though because Gary had beaten her to the punch, honestly not minding. "What did he say sweetheart?" Jasina hated asking and vowed if Mark called Arielle one foul word, she was going to kill him.

"He agreed after I started crying my eyes out and acting like the world was ending." She immediately grinned, whistling happily and tossed her Mom her phone. "We have to be there at noon."

Gary blinked, staring at Arielle in shock. "You...played him?"

"Yup, like a fiddle."

"You should go for acting; I thought you were really upset."

Jasina just stared at her daughter in bewilderment. "Wow..."

"I have to let Randy know I won't be in tomorrow." Arielle announced, feeling more than a bit satisfied with her acting abilities.

Arielle didn't LIKE doing that to her Dad, but...sometimes he needed to be tricked for his own good. He was too stubborn and held grudges much too easily. Though, he had been acceptable to seeing Gary than her Mom, at least until Arielle had opened up the waterworks.

"So long as you two can remain civil, I don't think it will be TOO bad." Arielle mused, thumbing through her contact list hesitantly. "I don't think..."

"I'll be civil." Jasina promised and hoped she didn't break it. "As long as he is and I'll walk away if it gets too bad." She added, feeling better, and knew Randy was not going to be happy with these turn of events.

If the kids wanted to live together by themselves, they had to get Mark's permission. Otherwise, Arielle had to wait until she was eighteen or until she could get emancipated, which was hard to do these days and very messy. Jasina could only hope everything worked out for the best, staring out the window in thought, wondering how she and Mark's love could just...die like this.

Randy was at the apartment shortly after Arielle called, looking like he had run down the flight of stairs that separated them, which he had. "Why do you sound like you've been crying?" He demanded when Arielle opened the door, his confusion growing when he seen tear stains on her cheeks, but she was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Arielle had sounded like she had a crying jag and simply said she wouldn't be coming to work, the crying part is what worried him.

Gary slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. "You gave the guy a heart attack!"

"I did not, just a panic attack, and I didn't mean too!"

Jasina started laughing harder than she had in awhile because the look on Randy's face was absolutely priceless. It looked as though he'd just jumped out of the shower and threw on a pair of jeans, the wet stains slowly seeping through on his knees. He hadn't even dried off!

"Randy, are you okay?" Jasina snickered through giggles, holding her stomach because it hurt too much, Arielle joining in with her leaning against Gary, who thought it wasn't amusing at all.

"I nearly shit bricks! I thought something had happened to one of you!" Randy raked a hand through his short wet hair and then gave it a shake, sending water droplets all over the trio. "Sorry..."

"He looks like a drowned puppy!"

Gary led Arielle back to the couch to sit her down since she was laughing so hard she was throwing both him and Jasina off balance and about to fall on her ass. "Insane woman..."

"So what is going on?"

"We're going to see my Dad tomorrow."

Mystic blue eyes snapped to Jasina's.

"The kids want to move in together and I told them I'm all for it, if it's what they want. The problem is Mark has full custody of Arielle until she either turns eighteen or gets emancipated right after graduation." Jasina explained once the laughter died, looking over at Arielle who was still giggling while Gary growled at her playfully; they really did make a great couple. "I'm insane and want my daughter happy, what can I say?"

"You're ALL insane." Randy grumbled, heading toward the bathroom.

He was familiar and comfortable enough at her place to go help himself to a towel. Drying himself off the best he could, nothing could be done about the pants; Randy came back out feeling a little better. Though, he wished he had stopped to grab a shirt and then looked down, realizing he was still unfastened.

"You don't wear boxers or anythin'?" Arielle had noticed it too, letting out a giggle when Gary clamped a hand over her eyes, wondering how she had missed that before. Oh yes, having a laughing fit at Randy's expense. "I'm not lookin' anymore!"

"I'll let you know when he's decent." Gary mumbled, turning red himself.

"Sorry, sorry..." Ears red, he zipped himself up. "And no, I go commando."

"I noticed."

So did Jasina and that did absolutely nothing for her heightened body temperature, trying to become distracted with something else. She was bothered now and knew she would have to use her special friend to relieve some sexual tension later tonight. Jasina would rather have Randy do it, but...Jasina immediately cut that thought off, looking over at her daughter.

"Anyone hungry? I'm starving. I think I'll start dinner..." Dessert definitely came to mind...Jasina groaned inwardly as she walked past Randy, clipping her hair up and went to go splash cold water on her face from the kitchen sink.

Randy followed her, watching curiously as the back of her neck slowly became flushed, arching an eyebrow. "A little hot in here for you?" He teased, leaning against the counter as she began pulling out things for dinner, stopping her when she put back and pulled out the same stick of butter three times. "Deep breath, calm down, and exhale." He instructed, wondering what had gotten her in such a tizzy. "Are you worried about tomorrow or is there something else on your mind?"

Staring into those beautiful blue eyes wasn't helping matters at all! Jasina did as he asked and closed her eyes, breathing in through the nose and out of the mouth, doing it several times. While doing so, she thought of every disgusting thing she could think of and already knew she would need a change of panties.

"No I'm fine, I think I'm dehydrated." Jasina lied smoothly, turning away from him to grab bottled water out of the fridge. "I think I'll make baked chicken with scalloped potatoes tonight." She said to no one in particular, trying to keep her mind occupied and ended up downing nearly the whole bottle of water, completely overheated.

She drained that bottle...Randy's eyes were fastened on her throat, watching her swallow, and had to suddenly erase the very dirty mental picture he had of those luscious lips wrapped around him. That throat swallowing him…Randy turned with a cough and began talking his budding erection down mentally. The sexual tension between them definitely heightened, at least it had for Randy, having no idea what Jasina felt.

"Sounds good." Randy said huskily with his back to her, clearing his throat.

Jasina busied herself with cooking, seasoning the chicken before popping it into the oven. She put extra cheese on the scalloped potatoes and even made macaroni & cheese, needing to get rid of her energy somehow. Randy helped her a little and they made small talk, after each getting over their hidden desires, while the kids stayed in the living room. When dinner was ready, Jasina set the table and was happy Randy joined them this time, knowing he probably hadn't eaten anything since beginning working with his photos.

"How'd the beach photos come out?" Arielle asked, starting up conversation.

"Good, you would not believe some of background noise though, that picture we took of those kids building a sandcastle on their Dad...a woman in the back had JUST removed her top. I had to remove it."

"Personal use, huh?"

Gary bit his tongue.

Randy almost shot back with 'why do you think I take so many pictures of your Mom?', instead just shook his head and busied himself with his chicken.

Jasina asked Gary how his job was going and decided she would be talking to Trish about possibly moving him up in the ranks since he wanted to get his own place. There was always room to move up the ladder at the newspaper, Jasina knew firsthand. She'd been giving a job writing articles and now had three separate jobs along with anything else Trish wanted to give her* I think I could ask her if you could move to the mailroom. It pays a few dollars more.

"Really? You don't have to-"

"Nonsense, I want to." Jasina couldn't help sneaking glances at Randy when she knew he wasn't looking, before going back to her own dinner.

"You wouldn't have to get up at two AM either, that means we would all be on the same schedules." Arielle said happily, knowing the drastic schedule differences had been a problem for him because he hadn't liked sleeping while they were up and about.

"The way you're going, the newspaper is going to become an honest to god family business." Randy teased.

"If you married my Mom, and Gary and I were married, it would be."

Gary leaned over to slap Randy on the back when the man choked on a piece of chicken.

"I-I don't think we should be discussing marriage at the dinner table."

Jasina couldn't believe her daughter said that and felt her cheeks flame, covering her cheek with her hand while taking a bite of macaroni & cheese. Arielle really liked Randy if she mentioned marriage between them and they weren't even dating! Though, it did give Jasina hope for the future that if they were to date, her daughter wouldn't have a problem with it.

"And Trish does want the newspaper being a family business, why do you think she's trying to get Steve to quit the shop?"

Arielle swallowed her soda down the wrong pipe, coughing. "What?!"

"She wants Steve to join in partnership so she can fully buy the company out. Been talking about it for the past few years now, but he won't do it."

"Steve's not into the paper business." Randy said with a shrug, having spoken with the man a few occasions when passing him in the office, generally Steve bringing Trish lunch or something she was craving. "Apparently he likes working with cars..." When he realized he was being stared at, he shrugged. "What? I do talk to people..."

"Steve is my Dad's best friend...it's weird."

"I think the only person who doesn't like Randy is your Dad." Gary pointed out, because so far, everyone seemed to like the guy; he was likeable. "So...what's your deep, dark secret then? Because no one is THAT likeable."

"Yeah, what's wrong with you?" Arielle piped in, raising an eyebrow.

"Your father doesn't like him because he hangs around both of us. He's jealous." Jasina answered simply, no ego involved; it was the simple truth. Mark couldn't stand the fact his daughter enjoyed being around another man other than him. "He basically thinks I've been intimate with Randy all along and that Randy stole me away from him." She knew Mark like a book and watched as Randy's eyebrow rose all the way up to his hairline, laughing softly. "Your father is ridiculous and has jealousy issues. Someone pass the potatoes please."

"Wait, Daddy thinks you two have done the nasty? Have you?"

Randy was DONE eating tonight; he was going to wind up choking and dying at the dinner table, leaning back in his chair to stare at Arielle. "No, we have not and I think that is not exactly good table conversation."

"I was just wonderin'..."

"I agree with Randy and I'm done eating." Jasina couldn't eat anymore and began clearing her and Randy's plates, slapping his hand playfully when he went to help her. "Relax." She murmured, leaning over him to give him a quick glimpse of her breasts without realizing it, taking the food back into the kitchen.

Maybe Jasina shouldn't have said what she did regarding how Mark felt about Randy, but it was the truth and she refused to lie or keep anything from Arielle. Arielle had resumed eating quietly, but was watching her Mom and Randy interactions intently. Wondering if they would tell her the truth if they weren't dating, just doing the deed, her emerald eyes narrowed when Randy took a quick peek down her Mom's top only to look away just as quickly, his ears flushing red.

Gary wasn't sure if Arielle was annoyed with the obvious chemistry between them or plotting to get them together.

He was going to go home and die; there were only so many times a man could use his hand. "Let me help you." He insisted, needing SOMETHING to do.

Jasina needed space from him and Randy was trying to get closer to her!

Didn't he understand or know how to take a subtle hint?

Jasina just pointed at the table and got the tuber ware out, deciding leftovers were definitely what was for dinner tomorrow. They had three different kinds now, placing the food in the containers before snapping them shut. A cold bath along with a date with her vibrator was definitely in the plans tonight. At this rate, Jasina was going to have to wear double panties or maybe even a diaper, immediately dismissing that ridiculous thought.

"Thanks..."

"Look, I know tomorrow is going to be...difficult for you." Randy gently caught her by the arm before Jasina could turn away from him again, staring down at her. "But I was thinking, maybe you'd like to go out for a drink or something tomorrow night? If the day goes great, that's good. If not, well, I can keep you company, if you want."

Gary and Arielle vacated to give them some privacy.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

She didn't want to jump to conclusions, remembering how she told Randy she would be his going out buddy, and thought it was nothing more than that. "I'd really like that." Randy asking her out on a date would definitely make her happy, but maybe all he wanted was friendship. From what he said at the party Trish threw for them until now, Randy had given her mixed signals and confused Jasina to say the least. "I'll call you when we're done dealing with the asshole and then we can decide where to go for drinks."

"That sounded like a dismissal, are you dismissing me?" Randy teased, catching the dishrag before it could hit his face when she threw it at him, rolling it up and then snapping her ass lightly with it, laughing at the shocked expression on her face. "Close your mouth Jas, flies will get in." He probably shouldn't be starting with her in the kitchen since he now knew she kept chocolate syrup around and used it for stuff besides her ice cream but it was irresistible.

Jasina retaliated by grabbing another dishrag and rolled it up, snapping his leg with it, smirking when he groaned in pain, hopping near the door. "You should know better than to challenge me." She stated with a smirk, snatching the dishrag out of his hand after snapping him, tossing it over her shoulder in the sink. "And yes I'm dismissing you because I want to finish cleaning up, take a nice hot bubble bath and then get to bed. Not to mention you need a shirt before you poke someone's eye out with your nipples." It wasn't that cold in here so Jasina knew there was another reason why they perked.

He immediately glanced down at his chest then shrugged, a broad smirk crossing his face. "Well Jas, how nice of you to notice they were standing at attention." Randy teased, his voice dropping to a low rumbling tone, catching it when she involuntarily shivered. "I must've liked you snapping at me a bit more than I realized." Just to see her blush was well worth that comment.

"That's it! Out!" Jasina ordered and pushed a howling Randy out of her door, shaking her head with crimson cheeks, rolling her eyes. "I hope the mosquitoes get you. See you tomorrow, Orton."

She shut the door and immediately splashed cold water on her face, knowing that wasn't going to help. She needed sex badly...having been used to getting it whenever she wanted for the past four years with Mark. So going from having sex nearly every night to going without for nearly two months was killing her.

"Tease." She grunted, finishing cleaning up before heading into the bathroom for her bath.

Once away from her apartment, Randy slumped against the wall and made sure he was alone before adjusting himself, groaning softly. He was the tease? No, she was. She was driving him insane and it was both a mixture of lust and something not quite love but along those lines.

"I'm fucked..." He groaned softly.

Randy hadn't even bothered with the cold shower, a bit tired of them at this point, and wondered if he shouldn't have made it clear he wanted their drinks to be a date thing. Given that they had no idea how her day was going to turn out, what with her going over to Mark's with Gary and Arielle…that was a world war just WAITING to happen. That didn't change the fact Randy cared about Jasina a great deal and the erection threatening to rip through his jeans was evidence he wanted her.

"Hey, found a cure to an erection..." He muttered, shuddering, not particularly liking the idea of Mark, but it had gotten rid of a problem that was going to eventually leave his palm calloused.

After an hour long cool bath, Jasina felt a little better as she stepped out and wrapped her body up in a towel with a robe, knowing Arielle was in her room with Gary. She trusted them and knew Arielle would use protection if they decided to further their relationship. Jasina walked into her bedroom, shut the door and locked it, peeling the towel and robe off. She padded over to her radio and turned it on, loud enough to where it would drown out any sounds, and she planned on making some. Turning the light out, Jasina slipped under her covers and pulled her nightstand drawer open, instantly beginning to get rid of the heat Randy caused her, thinking only of him.

**~!~**

Jasina looked in the mirror one last time and swallowed hard, not looking forward to this meeting at Mark's at all. She wished she could fast-forward and be with Randy, having picked this specific dress to look nice for him. And maybe tease him a little bit. She smirked, it would serve him right after what he did the previous night!

She wore a golden yellow strapless cotton dress that went an inch above the knee and featured a perfectly hidden side zip, a cocoa colored ribbon around the waist that had a smocked back. It had a pleated bust with a ravishing array of ruffle embellishments upon its hem. She had a floral clip in her hair, glad she'd gotten it done and added the red to the blonde streaks along with a pair of matching cocoa brown t-strap heels that went up her calves.

Deciding on wearing an amber stone cut in the shape of a heart that was on a brown necklace along with matching amber stone earrings, Jasina painted her lips in pure gloss. Brown eyeliner traced her teal eyes, shimmering gold on her eyes, going for the natural look. When Jasina was satisfied with her look, she walked out of her bedroom, where Arielle and Gary were waiting for her.

"Gee Mom, I feel so underdressed now." Arielle joked when she seen how ravishing her mother looked, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a pale purple tank top with a gray suede vest over it, black flip flops on her feet and a cowboy hat on her head. "You look beautiful. What's the occasion? It's not for Daddy is it?" Arielle was actually a bit excited about seeing her Dad; it had been over a month, but also very nervous. She knew Gary probably felt like throwing up, he had hardly slept a wink all night.

"Of course not!" Jasina chided, smiling at the compliment. "I would never look this good for your father. Randy and I are going out for a few drinks...JUST as friends, but I wanted to look nice." She could see the doubt in Arielle's eyes and sighed, knowing this was hard for her daughter, but Jasina wanted to move on from Mark. "It's not a date and if we decide to become something more, I promise to let you know first. There is no mentioning Randy today either. That will just anger your father and we don't need any more explosions."

Gary could only nod, wearing blue jeans with a black shirt, feeling as though he was walking to the electric chair.

Jasina also wanted to show Mark what he lost and headed out with the kids toward her car.

Mark had spent the entire morning cleaning his already spotless house, feeling antsy because he hadn't seen Arielle in a month and knew Jasina and Gary would be with her. He had let go of the anger he felt towards Gary, the entire situation coming back to him. Gary did have a horrible home life and sixteen hadn't really been that much older than twelve, considering the boy hadn't been even thinking about Arie in THAT way so much as just one of her friends. It was Jasina that was his problem. He was torn between kissing her senseless and strangling her with his bare hands.

Nobody said a word the entire ride to Mark's, the tension so thick in the air it couldn't be cut with a knife. Jasina played country music to help the tension a little, but even she was nervous, her stomach doing flip-flops whenever she thought about Arielle's party. When she pulled up to Mark's ranch, Jasina pulled up in the driveway and cut the ignition, looking over at her nervous daughter.

"Everything will be fine you guys, come on." She wanted to say let's get this over with, but refrained because Arielle hadn't seen her father in a month.

This definitely was going to be emotional. Stepping out, Jasina instantly held Arielle's hand and kept an arm around Gary, whispering encouraging words to him, letting him know she would protect him and reminding him to breathe. All three held their breath when Arielle rang the doorbell, not just walking in like normal.

Arielle let go of her Mom's hand when her Dad opened the door, just staring up at him. She let out a muffled curse when she suddenly found her feet dangling off the porch, being crushed in a massive bear hug. "I love you too Dad..." She coughed out. "Can't...breathe..." She let out a sign when he set her back down, arching her back to pop it. "Can we come in?"

That was new and Mark hid the sting of hurt it caused, opening the door completely nodding. Frowning when Gary halted in front of him, Mark stared down, arching an eyebrow when Gary hesitantly extended his hand, obviously prepared for Mark to break it. Was he really that bad?

Gary managed not to piss himself when the older man took his hand in a very strong grip and shook, sighing inwardly when it was returned whole.

Jasina just smiled and winked when Gary quickly glanced back at her, nodding silent encouragement. She was surprised Mark hadn't shut the door on her when she passed by him, the smell of sunflowers permeating the air from her perfume and looked around the ranch, noticing how clean it was. Gary was shaking slightly and Arielle was reeling from the hug, Jasina bit back giggles as they all headed into the kitchen with Mark following.

They had knocked on the door, yet headed straight for his kitchen; at least some things hadn't changed, Mark thought with a shake of his head. He had half-expected for Jasina to bring along her new friend, or boyfriend, or whatever the hell Randy was to her at this point; he definitely knew it was more than a coworker. Mark followed them into the kitchen, watching as they took seats around his table, seeing Gary looking around.

"No, it hasn't changed."

"No, sir." Gary remembered being tied at the ankles and on his hands and knees, scrubbing this floor with Arielle and Toni, shooting Arie a look. He groaned when she just smiled slightly, apparently remembering the memory all too well herself.

Jasina simply sat there and kept her mouth shut, knowing she was only there for moral support and in case Mark flew off the deep-end again. Gary sat right beside her with Arielle on his other side, Mark and Jasina refusing to sit beside each other. She would've moved had he sat down next to her, that's how much she loathed him. All of her love had turned into hate, Jasina was surprised her heart didn't even break at the sight of him like it normally would have. When Arielle began talking about the ring, Gary didn't look as nervous anymore and Jasina hoped this stayed civil and calm.

Mark listened patiently to everything Arielle said, never taking his eyes off his daughter as she explained about the ring and her relationship with Gary, most of which he had already surmised by this point. He listened as she told him about her and Gary living with Jasina in separate bedrooms, about them both working jobs, Gary's full-time since he was an adult and out of school, on leave from college, which had surprised him - the college bit that was. When Arie paused to take a breath, Mark had a feeling there was still more to come, sparing a glance at Gary and then Jasina.

Jasina looked away from him to stare at Arielle, reaching over to squeeze her hand, trying to give her the courage to continue. This was it. The sole reason why they were here in the first place and why Jasina felt like she truly didn't belong, wishing she would've figured it out sooner than four plus years later. This wasn't about her though, it was about these two young kids in love wanting to spend their lives together.

Gary knew he'd been silent long enough and place a hand on Arielle's back, their eyes locking, deciding it was time for him to be a man. "Sir, we want to get an apartment together." He was pulling an Arielle move, just blurting it right out, taking Arielle's hand in his with the ring on her finger. "We love each other and, as much as we enjoy Jasina's company, we want our privacy. Now, we understand that you have full custody of Arielle until she's eighteen and we totally respect that, but we're asking your permission to do this. We both have full time jobs that pay decent and, since we're going to be married someday, we want to make sure we can live together first before taking that plunge." He finally let out a breath and hoped the house didn't blow up.

Mark was stunned into silence, wondering what the hell Jasina had even thought when they broached her with this. Yes, he had full custody of Arielle, but she was nearly a full grown woman and he had a feeling she'd be stubborn enough to try to get emancipated if he turned her down. Letting out a shaky breath, Mark leaned back in his chair, staring at his daughter intently.

"Any way I could talk ya into waitin' until after you graduate?" Mark asked pokerfaced, already knowing the answer, but had to ask anyway.

"You could try." Arielle replied deadpan.

"Arielle, remember what we agreed on." Gary said softly, smiling when she just shot him a glare, chuckling. "You want me and your Dad to get along right? I told you if he wanted you to wait until after you graduated, we can do that."

"But..."

Gary pressed a finger to her lips and kissed the back of her other hand. "Graduation is only three months away, ninety days. It'll probably take that long for us to even find a suitable apartment. And if I find one before that," He turned to Mark, pausing briefly. "If it's alright with you sir, could she possibly stay with me a couple of nights out of the week?"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Jasina's eyes turned to Mark with a sweet smile on her face, loving the look that adorned her ex's face. It was priceless. She was almost tempted to bring a camera. What surprised her most was how respectful Gary was being toward Mark's feelings.

Given the fact that she would graduate before she even turned eighteen, Mark thought his question was quite reasonable. Gary, however, had knocked him for a loop and he knew it openly showed on his face. "I would prefer ya to wait until she's graduated." When he seen Arielle opening her mouth, he held up a hand. "Arie, you have over six months before yer an adult, three until you graduate; I don't think it's unfair of me to ask ya to wait at least that long. And, the ki- Gary, is right, it'll take you awhile to find a suitable apartment." He arched an eyebrow down at Jasina. "What do you think about all of this?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, this is YOUR meeting. I'm just here for moral support, nothing more." Jasina smirked when he glared at her, enjoying this thoroughly and folded her arms in front of her chest, amusement shining in her teal eyes.

"That sounds very reasonable, baby doll." Gary knew it would take some persuading, but he would get Arielle to understand her father's view, already accepting it. "He wants you to wait until you graduate, then we'll wait. You got a lot to worry about as it is with graduation and everything, not to mention we still have to start saving money like we talked about." He watched her frown and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, sir."

Jasina was beaming she was so proud of Gary, already thinking of him as a son.

Asking Jasina's opinion as one parent to another had been thrown back right in his face and Mark fought the urge to point out this wasn't his meeting. This was her pulling strings because when he had tried setting terms she had gone into her 'I call the shots' routine. Mark felt the returning urge to strangle her again and let out a sigh before turning back to Arielle, smiling at the look on her face.

"Three months ain't going to kill you, kiddo." He chided gently, reaching out to chuck her beneath the chin.

Considering this had gone better than she had thought it would, Arielle wiped away the pout and nodded, her eyes sparkling. She could wait three months and then no more separate rooms.

"Do you really want my feelings on it or were you just asking to play the nice Daddy roll?" Jasina asked bluntly, folding her hands on the table with that same smile on her face, knowing she was now getting under his skin. 'How does it feel asshole?' She thought bitter sweetly, tilting her head when he simply glared at her. "Since you so KINDLY asked, I think it's a great idea because I like Gary and trust him with Arielle. They're both working, they're both more responsible and they're more grown up than a lot of seventeen and twenty-one year olds out there." There, he wanted to know so badly so she told him, turning her attention to Arielle. "So, are you going to stay with me or your father during the last three months of your schooling?"

"I can bounce back and forth, providin' Gary can come with me on his days off." Arielle beamed brightly, refusing to choose between her parents.

"Separate rooms..." Mark said slowly, knowing from the gleam in his daughter's eyes that she was well aware she held a lot of cards in her hand since they had JUST finally reconciled. Ignoring Jasina was easier than sitting there and take the provocation without snapping back, not about to ruin this with Arie because of his ex. "Separate floors..." He added.

Gary was trying not to smile.

"Sounds good to me." This had gone better than Jasina ever thought possible and she was actually proud of Mark, though she would never admit that, knowing Randy would be thrilled to hear everything went down smoothly without another explosion. "Judging by the bag you two brought, I'm going to safely assume you're staying here tonight?"

"Well...Mom..."

"It's fine sweetheart. I'm happy that you and your father are talking again." Jasina accepted Arielle's embrace, kissing her forehead. "I really am." Having the apartment alone for the night, Jasina could walk around naked if she wanted to and hugged Gary next. "If you get uncomfortable, you have a key." She whispered in his ear to where only he could hear her, feeling him nod and pulled back.

Except he had no ride back into town, he had ridden with her. Gary swallowed hard as he looked at Mark, wondering if the older man would chop him up into a million tiny pieces while Arielle slept and feed him to hogs, then tell Arie he had run off. Mark returned the stare, wondering what the hell the boy was thinking to make him look pale suddenly.

"He's probably thinking you're going to hurt him while Arielle is sleeping tonight." Jasina said deadpan, staring back at Gary when his eyes widened.

"N-No...I wasn't..."

"If it makes you feel better, there are locks on all the doors in here."

That did relax him a little, though Gary was still somewhat pale, keeping close to Arielle. "Daddy wouldn't dare hurt me again." Arielle stated with a sweet smile, standing up to get something to drink out of the fridge, knowing guilt tripping was going to work wonders. "Right Daddy?"

Jasina smirked when Mark nodded while swallowing hard, paling himself a little.

He had messed up, not only had he driven a wedge between him and Arielle, but in doing so, Mark had pushed her into her mother's arms and now she was acting like her mother! Mark just realized that he was going to be living in his own personal hell for quite some time to come. Gary felt a bit more relaxed when he seen Mark was the same shade of white he was. It was reassuring to know the man could also be scared shitless, which is what Arielle had just done with her guilt trip and made him realize what he had to lose permanently this time around.

Jasina did not blame Arielle for guilt tripping her father and wouldn't reprimand her for it either. He deserved everything he had to live with and more. "Arielle, come by tomorrow to get your SUV, alright?"

When she nodded while chomping on a carrot, Jasina knew it was time to leave. Arielle could inform her father on everything that was currently going on, heading out of the kitchen and down the hallway with an extra bounce in her step. She couldn't wait to see Randy, sending him a text on her phone to let him know the meeting went great and she was ready for those drinks.

Gary felt really out of place, hoping his lifeline hadn't just left.

Mark just let out a sigh of relief, feeling a momentary urge to watch The Wizard of Oz, just to watch the wicked witch melt.

When Randy received the text saying everything had gone well, he smiled and felt his own surge of relief, glad that no one had blown up or gotten hurt. He texted Jasina back, letting her know he had to swing by his apartment to change and would meet her there.

Mark stepped out onto the porch, seeing she was standing by her car texting and sighed, knowing if he was going to have any chance of totally getting Arielle to trust him again, he had to start with Jasina first.

Jasina smiled when Randy texted her back and closed her phone, looking up when the screen door shut, seeing Mark standing there. What the hell did he want? She wasn't letting anyone destroy her mood, looking great and feeling fabulous. Jasina didn't want to be anywhere near Mark, surprised when no butterflies erupted in her stomach, no wave of heat rushing through her. She didn't feel anything for him, their only connection being Arielle and it felt foreign to say the least

"Did Arielle forget something?" Jasina asked politely, having opened her car door and raised an eyebrow when he walked down the porch steps toward her.

Mark shook his head; Arielle had been on her way up to her bedroom to make sure it was still intact and had dragged Gary with her, probably to keep them from being alone in the same room together. It felt wonderful to be such a trusted parent. "No, I wanted to talk to you." The look on her face said she clearly didn't want to talk to him but he ignored it. "Look, eventually, we're goin' to have to stop tormentin' each other, darlin'." He raked a hand through his hair, which had finally grown past his shoulder blades, and sighed heavily. "Before we drive each other insane or hurt Arielle anymore than she's already been hurt."

"Well maybe if one of us didn't assume things that are not going on, we would be getting along a lot better." Jasina retorted swiftly, tossing her cell phone into the car and shut the door, folding her arms in front of her chest. "You're not driving me insane, you've hurt me more than anything and I'm done with it. Arielle understands we don't like each other and I'm not going to make her choose between us. I hope you won't either. We don't have to talk to each other because she's practically an adult. Graduations are about the only thing we have to tolerate each other and let's keep it that way." She knew her words were cold, but after everything Mark said to her, Jasina couldn't get away from him fast enough, refusing to let the tears swell in her eyes that had stung the back of them. "That about covers it, yes?"

Mark nodded stiffly. "Yeah, it does."

He wasn't even going to bother with arguing because he was tired of her attitude and already knew he was a dick. Mark had said and done a lot of hurtful things to her and wasn't about to ask her to forgive him because he knew that wasn't happening nor did he deserve it. He knew from experience that pointing out things she had done was pointless; the woman was oblivious to her flaws.

"Thanks for bringin' them out, I'll bring 'em in town tomorrow to get her SUV. She got her license then?" Steve had hit him the other day upside his head and he was going to assume something wrong in his brain had been fixed because he was discovering it quite easy to be civil.

"Not yet, she hasn't finished her driving lessons." Randy had tried to finish them with Arielle, but they'd been busy with the interning, something Jasina definitely understood. She could see the resignation in Mark's eyes and felt her heart ache just a little because she hadn't been kind to him. "I'm sorry for what's happened between us." Jasina couldn't look at him or Jasina was afraid she'd break down, instead staring at the ground. "I know I have flaws and I said some cruel things to you. We tried and failed, I can be civil as long as you're civil back. That means no more phone calls yelling at me about Randy. That means no more phone calls calling me a bitch and whatever else you said. That means letting the past completely go and having a clean slate. We both made mistakes, we both said terrible things and now we both need to get over it and move on with our lives." Jasina had to take a deep shaky breath, slowly looking up at him until teal eyes met emerald green. "So I'm sorry for everything I said to you that was rude and vicious and I'm sorry I kept the truth about Gary from you. It was wrong, no matter if Arielle asked me to do it, I should've trusted that you would've been more civil about it. You should've been prepared, Mark. I had no right bringing him into your home without your consent, under your nose. You deserve to know who is in your house and after I thought about it, I would've been pissed if the tables were turned."

Mark nodded, surprised she had actually apologized and didn't know what to say or do now. It was clear they weren't friends. They probably never would be because too much hurt had happened between them, caused by them both, but some kind of even ground would have to do.

"Thanks, darlin'." Mark rumbled, offering a red bandana from his back pocket when it looked like she might cry. "I'll finish up her permit loggin' and take her into get her license. Did Randy kept track of her hours so I know how much time she needs to clock?" Mark had even said 'Randy' and not growled, impressing himself.

"Yes, I have it at my place. You can pick it up tomorrow." She didn't take the bandana and blinked her tears away, feeling like the biggest weight had been lifted from her shoulders. World War III had finally come to an end and Jasina was definitely ready for those drinks with Randy. "Go spend time with her. She's missed you and don't forget to pick the SUV up tomorrow. I should be home around five as usual."

When Mark nodded, Jasina turned and opened her car door, slipping behind the wheel, driving down the road. Jasina thought she might cry, but instead all she could do was sigh in relief and smile. Hoping Randy would eventually make a move because she was in dire need of some intimate attention.

Mark headed back inside, hearing Arielle laughing from upstairs and took a minute to compose himself before heading up. Leaning in her doorway with an arched brow, he watched Gary tickling her mercilessly. Saying something about 'take it back', it looked like the poor boy had her tiara from prom on his head.

"What the hell?"

Arielle didn't jump though Gary did, looking up from her spot on the bed and giggled shamelessly. "He said the tiara was gaudy so..."

"Bad move son, her mama picked that out for her. Purple ain't yer color."

Flushing, Gary pulled it off really quick, looking down at an amused Arielle.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Fifteen minutes later, Jasina pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, stepping out and adjusted her dress, making sure her makeup wasn't mused on the drive back from Mark's. She shut the door and walked up the stairs, for the first time heading to Randy's apartment instead of her own, looking for his number. The butterflies erupted in her stomach suddenly and Jasina had to take a deep breath, finding some kind of courage to lift her hand and knocked on the door once she found it.

"Hold on!" Randy called from inside the apartment, just stepping out of the shower to wash off the scent of chemicals.

Since he hadn't had Arielle with him, Randy decided to do some investigating on a story that had landed on his desk. It was something about chemicals being released from a factory into water that was processed for drinking in a residential district. Pulling up his jeans and throwing his towel around his neck, Randy headed for the door, opening it and blinked when he seen Jasina.

"Hello." Randy greeted, realizing she had never been in here before and was glad his scrapbook was hidden safely away. He opened the door for her to enter, hoping she didn't freak when she seen the pictures of the very bad places he had been and things he witnessed. "Come on in."

"Hi."

Jasina wondered when Randy wasn't hopping out of the shower in a hurry, immediately shoving that thought out of her mind and stepped inside, looking around. He had all dark brown furniture with gaming systems and a big flat screen television. Definitely a bachelor pad. It did look a little...depressing though, but Jasina was keeping that to herself, walking over to admire some of his beautiful photography. She could stare at his pictures all day happily.

Randy took a moment to study her, taking in the little yellow dress she wore. Yellow was definitely his favorite color on her and might now be his favorite color, period. His admiring gaze swept her toned legs, having a sudden visual of them wrapped around his waist and hastily cleared his throat.

"Let me go put on a shirt and some shoes, then we can leave." He was going to need to watch the drinking tonight, having a feel under the influence he would act on some of these impulses, which he wanted only just sober.

"Sounds good, take your time."

Jasina slowly walked from one photo to the next, not touching them because they were still dripping, all the shades drawn for a reason with a red light on them. He was using his kitchen for a dark room? The man really was a workaholic. Jasina turned when he came back out and swallowed hard at the shirt he chose, which stretched across his chest, short sleeved and looked ready to bust off of him at any moment. She was probably a little overdressed and honestly didn't care, accepting his arm when extending it as they headed out the door.

"Okay, wait a minute..." Randy said before they had even made it down the hall, stopping her. He ignored the confused look on her face and took her hand, twirling her in a circle and watched the dress flutter around her thighs. "Sorry, been aching to do that when I seen you in it." He grinned down at her, wondering if she knew just what that dress on her beautiful body was doing to him. Or maybe it was just her period, probably since whenever he seen her lately he usually acquired a problem.

Jasina could feel she was blushing from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, seeing the pure adoration in his blue eyes and felt her heart rate increase slightly. "Thank you." She murmured softly, smoothing the front of her dress out where there wasn't ruffles. "I wanted to look nice tonight, I've been in office and lounge clothes around you since we met. I wanted to look...different...and I'm glad you like it, Randy. You look really nice too." He actually looked downright fuckable, but there was NO way Jasina was saying that out loud.

"I was aiming for handsome, but really nice is good too." Randy joked, walking down the stairs with her since neither lived on the first floor. There was an elevator, but walking never hurt and he did have to keep in shape, his mind straying momentarily to other things that made for a great workout. "Do you know where you'd like to go or that one place? Emerald City? Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah Emerald City is fine, I don't trust a lot of bars around here." For several reasons that Jasina refused to get into at the moment, knowing Randy would drive as they automatically headed toward his car. She felt so awkward about all of this and suddenly stopped, planting her feet so Randy would stop with her, releasing his arm. "Look, I thought this wouldn't bother me, but...I'm tired of the mixed signals, Randy. I'm tired of acting like friends one minute and then flirting the next. I need to know if we're going out as friends or if we're...I mean..." Jasina hated when her brain overloaded because her mouth normally ran away with her like now. "Is this a date? Did you ask me out for a friendly drink or did you really ask me out?"

Randy never clarified and Jasina wasn't going to beat around the bush, not after everything that happened with Mark. His answer was to bend down and kiss her, one arm drawing around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. After a moment, Randy pulled away.

"I asked you out for a friendly drink, as my date." He said softly. "You've been away from Mark for quite some time now and I'm fairly certain you no longer love him so..."

He was making his move since Jasina had made hers, hoping she wanted the same thing he did. Her lips were on fire from just that soft kiss, having been kissed by several guys before, but she'd only had sex with Mark. Jasina never felt anything like this before and couldn't help grinning, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I thought you'd wait forever before you asked me out." She joked, running the pad of her thumb across his lips before kissing him again, melting against him. They were co-workers and partners, but Jasina wanted so much more and buried her fingers in his soft black hair.

"Almost forever, but not quite." Randy replied with an easy going grin, bending down to press his forehead against hers. "Come on, beautiful lady, let me take you out to celebrate the end of waiting."

He feathered his lips against hers gently, deciding he could very easily spend the rest of his life just kissing her. She tasted like honey and sunshine, a combination he would have never said about any woman's lips, but this wasn't just any woman. This was his woman or at least Jasina would be, he would see to that.

Randy ended up taking Jasina out for a wonderful evening involving a delicious steak dinner and cocktails afterwards at Emerald City, both of them getting to know each other. Randy had been married one time when he was younger, before he found his passion in photography, so they both understood what it was like to feel love die. By the time they arrived back at the apartment, it was past midnight, Jasina leading Randy into hers since it was closer. They were simply holding hands and Randy hadn't kissed her since before they left, or rather Jasina kissed him, explaining to him during dinner that Arielle agreed to stay at Mark's as long as Gary could stay with her some nights, wanting to alternate places.

So they had the entire place to themselves.

It was almost too silent in Jasina's apartment. Randy had gotten used to Gary or Arielle always being there and usually around to quip jokes at him or ask him inappropriate questions, those usually came from Arielle since the girl had no tact. He almost didn't know what to do as he stared down at Jasina, knowing what he'd like to do, but at the same time didn't want to rush Jasina into anything she wasn't absolutely ready for.

"You going to be okay without them around constantly?" Randy asked softly, pulling her over to the couch and down onto it with him, instantly draping an arm around her, enjoying the feeling of her little body pressed snugly against his.

"Yeah, especially after coming home with my date." She smiled up at him with glittering teal eyes, fighting back the urge to jump him, remembering the chocolate syrup running down his chest. "Do you want some wine, beer?" Jasina was already up off the couch and padding into the kitchen, getting a glass of wine and pulling a beer out of the fridge, feeling incredibly nervous. She took the flower clip out of her hair and ran her fingers through it a little, taking a deep breath before heading back into the living room with the beverages. "Thank you for dinner, I haven't had a meal like that in awhile."

"Couldn't feed you salad, eventually, you're going to need to have stamina." Randy said bluntly, leaving absolutely no doubt to what he meant as his eyes raked her over hungrily.

Tonight would have been a good night, but he wasn't rushing her unless she made it clear she was ready and then all bets were off. He took the beer she passed him, standing up to reach out and run his fingers through her hair. It was the longest he had seen it since knowing her.

"I want you Jasina, in all ways." He admitted openly, not about to have anymore communication issues. "But I'm willing to wait for you."

"I want you too, Randy."

Jasina barely set her wine glass down before his lips captured hers, pulling her to straddle his lap to they were more comfortable, her dress riding up her thighs. The kiss instantly grew heated and Jasina moaned when his tongue slipped between her glossy lips, tasting her for the first time and she definitely enjoyed his flavor. When Randy broke the kiss and began moving his lips down her jaw to her ear, Jasina knew she had to pull back, using all the strength inside of her, her hands pressed against his upper chest.

"I've never had sex with any other man except Mark!" She blurted out, or yelled, immediately covering her mouth with her hand, teal eyes widening. "Shit..."

Randy blinked once and replied in a completely deadpan tone of voice. "I've never been with a man at all, you're one up on me." He honestly could not help himself, her shout had totally startled the hell out of him and then astonished him, wondering just how a woman as beautiful as Jasina hadn't been with at the very least a few men. Not that he was saying she was a slut -obviously not, but women this beautiful usually had their pick of men. "Just Mark? Ever?"

Jasina was a cherry right now and maybe even redder than that, not able to look at Randy right now. She hadn't meant to just blurt it out like that in a rush of words or yell it at him for that matter, but panicked. Now she felt like a complete idiot and rubbed the back of her neck, completely embarrassed. Here was her chance to sleep with him and she blew it with her panicky ass!

"Yes." Jasina whispered, knowing he probably thought of her as a damn virgin even though Jasina was anything but.

She'd just had one sexual partner in her entire life, a sexual partner that taught her absolutely everything, though she'd also taught Mark a few things too. A very male comment flittered through Randy's head, something along the lines of 'well, at least you're not overly used and a bat cave', but Randy didn't say it, his mind automatically clamping down on the thought and dismissing it. She was completely red from head to toe, and looking like she wanted to smother herself with the couch cushions. Deviously, he bent forward and gently nipped at her pulse point, chuckling huskily when she jumped.

"And you're worried because...?" Randy rumbled against her skin, his breath hot against her throat.

Jasina shivered against him from head to toe, every part of her body igniting with sparks that were soon going to turn into a full blown inferno. He was right. What was she worried about? He obviously still wanted her and Jasina wasn't about to deny her burning body anything, pressing herself closer to him while tilting her head back, giving him all the access he wanted, only to push him back against the couch, her mouth right by his ear.

"You wanna know a secret?" Her hands were already pulling his shirt from his jeans, beginning to grind against him. "I had to make myself cum last night because you couldn't do it for me. Think we can rectify that?"

"Fuck yes..." Randy hissed, his hands moving down to hips to pull her down against him while arching his own upwards.

Her words turned him on even more if that were possible. Jasina had to make herself cum, and she had definitely been thinking about him, that was hot. One moment Jasina was straddling him and the next Randy had flipped her so she was laying on the couch, drawing one leg up and kissing her again. One hand skimmed her inner thigh upwards until his fingers brushed against her panties while the other massaged her side sensually.

Jasina trembled against him with pure desire and kissed him feverishly, knowing her words had completely lit him on fire the same way she was. She broke the kiss and managed to escape from beneath him, slowly unzipping the side of her dress so he didn't rip it off her body. Jasina did it slowly, her teal eyes turning a dark turquoise, licking her swollen lips as she slowly backtracked toward the bedroom.

Randy began following her, letting the dress slip down to her waist, revealing a matching yellow strapless bra. When her back met the door of her bedroom, Randy's lips were on hers again as she finally removed his shirt, sliding it up his chest and over his head, their tongues entwining in a passionate toe curling kiss with her hand on the doorknob. Her hand was on the wrong knob as far as he was concerned, his cock practically screaming for attention.

Randy had been celibate his entire time in Houston, mainly because he hadn't been interested in anyone until her, not even the busty blondes like that Jillian gal from the beach who would have been easy. Too easy. Once they were in the bedroom, he automatically kicked the door shut behind him, his hands moving to her bare shoulders and running down her arms before dropping to kneel in front of her.

Looking up to meet her gaze, Randy began sliding the dress down the rest of the way slowly, sensually. Jasina stepped out of the dress before kicking it to the side, reaching behind to unsnap her bra as it fell to the floor, covering her breasts with her hands massaging them. Randy's thumbs hooked in the sides of her silk yellow panties, tossing them to the side, smirking when he saw she was smooth as a baby's bottom below.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"See something you like?" Jasina purred, gripping his chin before Randy could start teasing her, kissing his lips passionately again before raking her nails down his chest, lowering herself on her knees in front of him. Her eyes locked with his as Jasina unsnapped his jeans and took the zipper of his jeans between her teeth and tongue, slowly sliding it down and could feel pussy tingle at the sound alone. Jasina pushed his jeans down those long strong legs and made him step out of them, not wanting to be the only one naked. "Because I definitely see something I want."

To make her point, Jasina grabbed his hard cock and began stroking him, gently guiding him toward the bed. If not for the fact that he had handled business the night before, Randy probably would have exploded right then and there, her small hand stroking felt so good. As it was, Randy was ready to go and not embarrass himself, growling as he lifted her up and guided her legs around his waist, purposefully sliding his cock against her slit before laying her on the bed, hovering over her. Moans instantly spilled from her lips as Randy filled her to complete capacity, stretching her as far as she could go, her thighs tensing slightly.

This is exactly what she needed and Jasina clung to his shoulders and arms, anywhere she could get her hands on, loving the feeling of him rocking in and out of her receptive body. It was amazing and Jasina met him for every single thrust, wishing this would last forever. He felt perfect inside of her, just the same as Mark had, but there was no comparison since each man knew exactly what they were doing in the bedroom. Randy definitely wasn't a one second man either, especially when he rolled so she could ride him, increasing the pace.

"Oh fuck me, Randy!" Jasina cried out, leaving marks on him and knew he didn't give a damn, gasping when he sat up suddenly, powering in and out of her. "Give it all to me..."

Even though she was on top, he wasn't letting her do all the work, digging his heels into her bed and thrusting up to meet her, slamming in her hard enough to make her cry out each time but not to hurt her. "Ride me, Jasina." Randy growled in his rough husky voice, his strong hands moving to knead her breasts, massaging them and loving the way they filled his hands, bouncing with her every move.

Why she had been worried was BEYOND him, the woman was tighter than a glove, but knew what the hell she was doing in the bedroom.

It was a very good thing Arielle and Gary had wanted to stay with Mark because they would've heard every single thing happening in Jasina's bedroom. Jasina knew she would have to tell Arielle about her and Randy, remembering the promise she made. She never wanted to lie to her daughter and Arielle seemed to like Randy enough, so she wasn't too concerned.

Jasina pulled back and moved to position herself on her hands and knees, her glistening sex right in Randy's vision. She screamed out as the ecstasy washed over her when he filled her again, feeling everything ten times more and held onto her post while he hammered in and out of her, bringing her closer to the edge. All Jasina could do was cry out his name repeatedly and how good it felt, moaning uncontrollably.

One hand snaked between her legs, caressing and rubbing her clit as he pounded her straight into an orgasm that left her screaming his name. It was a point of pride for Randy and in turn, he gasped out hers. He felt her walls trying to draw him in deeper and hold him there, refusing to let up, refusing to let her stop at one, refusing to cum himself until he knew for a fact that she wasn't able to handle anymore and then prove her wrong.

It was nearing four AM when Jasina finally submitted and collapsed on the bed, face first, coughing she was breathing so hard trying to gain any kind of air. She'd been pounded thoroughly and her hunger was satiable for the moment. Randy had done the same thing, both of them sweating profusely, the bed completely destroyed.

Their sex had been so intense, it literally broke Jasina's bed so they were at somewhat of a slant, neither caring. She felt Randy run his hand up and down her back and smiled, completely spent. She never thought anyone could top Mark in bed, but apparently she was sadly mistaken. Randy was...an animal, aggressive and didn't give in until she begged for him to stop, his stamina off the charts.

"My pussy is numb." She groaned out pleasurably.

Randy felt the desire to smoke. That was how damn good the sex had been and he had given up smoking quite some time ago. He chuckled hoarsely at her confession, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on one elbow while he trailed his fingers down her ass, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Numb, hmm? Want me to rub some life back into it for you?" Randy teased, licking his lips provocatively when she looked at him.

"Y-You're insane..." Jasina rasped out, slowly arching up enough to stretch her limbs and flipped over on her back, staring up at the ceiling with glazed over teal eyes. "Go into my nightstand, past my vibrator, and hand me my cigarettes." She didn't see his shocked look and closed her eyes, her entire body tingling from head to toe. "You probably don't smoke, but after sex like that, I really need a square." When he handed her the pack with the lighter, Jasina's jaw dropped when Randy lit it up himself, not believing how incredibly sexy he was with a cigarette between his lips.

"What?" Randy rumbled around the cigarette between his lips, inhaling and then exhaling slowly through his nostrils. "I used to smoke a pack a day, but I'm with you. After sex like that...a cigarette is definitely required." He moved so he was sitting up, resting his back against the headboard and looked down at the end of the bed. "I'll replace or fix your bed for you." He said after a moment, knowing he was a large man, in all aspects, and the poor bed died just so they could finally give into the sexual tension they both suffered.

"You sure?" Jasina watched him nod and took a deep drag off the cigarette, the nicotine instantly relaxing her, sighing in sheer contentment. She didn't care about the bed and was planning on getting a new one anyway, knowing it wasn't exactly the newest. "Actually, I'm glad it broke because I was planning on getting a new one." She confessed, not wanting Randy to work harder than he should, handing over the square after another drag. "You can help me pick out my new bed though...since we'll be using it a lot more often now."

"I'm thinking a bed that has a foundation on the floor instead of legs might be in order, it'd stand up a little better if we ever decide to try breaking it." Randy smiled, wondering if they would have time to replace it before Arielle came back home. She really didn't need to see a broken bed because there simply were not a lot of explanations to pass that one off. "We'll be using it a lot more, eh? I like the sound of that." He leaned forward to kiss her, tasting the nicotine on her lips.

"I would hope we would...unless this is a onetime deal for you…"

Jasina squealed when Randy began blowing raspberries on her neck, keeping the cigarette away so neither of them were burned. Jasina knew this definitely wasn't a onetime deal, curling her leg around his and pulled back to take another drag before handing it over to him. The sexual high was slowly diminishing, but that didn't mean they were done for the night. In fact, Randy proved that by finishing the cigarette and lifted her up over his shoulder, causing Jasina to squeal again, carrying her out to the living room. There was no way they could sleep on the broken bed slanted the way it was.

Somehow, they managed to fit on the couch, kissing, touching and simply feeling the night away.

**~!~**

"Mom, I'm here to- WHAT THE HELL YOU GUYS?"

Gary walked in right behind Arielle, clamping a hand over her eyes and then one over HIS eyes. "Please tell me we did not just walk in on that..."

Mark followed next, nearly sending Arielle and Gary sprawling when he seen Randy and Jasina curled up on the couch together, obviously naked. He just barely managed to grab the kids, his face expressionless though his eyes were showing turmoil, too many emotions flickering through him and fighting for dominance. Jasina instantly bolted upright on the couch and actually fell off of it, Randy startled awake as well, scrambling to wrap the blanket around her naked body. Teal eyes widened at the sight of Mark standing in the doorway, the kids behind him so they couldn't see anything, instantly turning crimson red.

"W-What the hell are you doing here? What time is it?" Jasina got to her feet only to trip when Randy accidentally stepped on the blanket, sending her crashing to the floor again, right where her dress from the previous night lay, her hair complete disarray. "Oh my god..." She bolted into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Randy standing there stark naked in the living room, completely mortified. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Coughing, Randy folded his hands over himself, not generally ashamed with the morning wood, but that was Jasina's ex-husband standing right there with Arielle and Gary hiding behind him. This was...awkward. "Excuse me..." Randy turned and walked down the hallway, knowing he was never going to be able to look those kids in the eye ever again.

"Is it safe to look now, Dad?"

"Yeah, darlin'." Mark rumbled, managing to keep the darkness he felt out of his tone.

Jasina didn't have any clothes whatsoever in the bathroom, but it was the closest place she could escape, not believing Mark just walked in on her and Randy with the kids. She completely forgot she gave Gary and Arielle a key, Arielle had hers for awhile, but Jasina hadn't been thinking about that when her and Randy had sex. Jasina had no idea what she was going to do and decided to just use the blanket, tucking it tightly in her breasts to where nothing showed and hitched it up, slowly opening the bathroom door. Mark and the kids were standing before her, all Jasina could do was try not to burst into flames.

"I'll be right back, I have to...get dressed." Jasina quickly headed down the hallway, opening the bedroom door and left it open while she went to get some clothes out of her closet and dresser.

Randy was in the bedroom, having pulled back on his jeans and shirt from the night before, and was now trying to fix the bed. He didn't expect any of them to come back here, but he hadn't been expecting them to show up first thing in the morning either, assuming Arielle wouldn't come back for a day or two, or if she did...it would be at a decent hour like...when they weren't wrapped up naked on a couch together. He seen Jasina's flaming cheeks and wrapped his arms around her gently, knowing she was just as mortified as he was. At least she hadn't been left standing with an upright penis in front of them all though, that had to be a silver lining.

"I need to get dressed and so do you." Jasina ordered, shoving him away and couldn't even look him in the eyes.

Jasina just pulled out the first thing she could find, which was brown pajama pants with a white tank top, not caring how she looked. She would never be able to look at Mark the same way again, if ever, and knew Arielle would automatically accuse her of lying. Jasina and Randy had JUST gotten together last night and she did NOT expect them to show up before she went to school! Jasina brushed out her hair, hoping he understood why she couldn't be coddled at the moment.

Randy headed back out to the living room, knowing she needed a moment to recover and wasn't going to act like he was ashamed of what had happened between them because he wasn't. He was just a bit...upset...with the way everyone had just found out, that was not the way to announce a relationship. When Arielle asked if her mother was decent, he nodded, padding into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, purposefully ignoring the look Mark was giving him.

Arielle bolted down the hallway.

Gary could not believe what he witnessed, knowing he wouldn't get the image of Randy and Jasina naked on the couch...a couch he shared some intimate moments with Arielle. Gary had no idea what was going to happen as he looked between Mark and Randy, a man he feared and a man he had grown to like and respect. This was seriously one messed up situation.

Jasina finished making herself look as decent as humanly possible and turned around, teal eyes widening at the sight of her daughter standing in the doorway. "Arielle..."

Arielle was staring at the broken bed out of very wide eyes. Even she didn't need someone to explain to her just how THAT had happened and felt her cheeks staining with color. "MOM! What the hell? You said you and Randy WEREN'T together?!" It never crossed her mind that last night had been night number one of their relationship. All she knew was she had come home and seen more flesh on two adults she regarded as family than she had ever wanted or needed to see. "And you BROKE the BED?"

Mark, Gary and Randy all heard that exclamation. Gary immediately excused himself to step out into the hallway whereas Randy cursed, apparently burning himself on the coffee pot in his shock.

"Arielle, it's not what you think..." Jasina groaned when Arielle spun on her heel and began stomping down the hallway, rushing after her. "Arielle, stop right now!"

"NO! YOU LIED TO ME!"

"NO I DIDN'T!"

"YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T WITH RANDY!"

"I WASN'T!"

"AND YOU DID THE NASTY AFTER I ASKED YOU THE NIGHT BEFORE IF YOU HAD AND YOU SAID NO!"

Jasina grabbed Arielle and forced her to turn around, stopping her from trying to get away. "Randy and I were not together until last night!" She practically shrieked, the panic in her eyes as tears filled them. "I didn't lie to you, Arie, I would NEVER lie to you! It happened last night, it all happened last night!"

Randy went to go help calm Arielle down only to find his access out of the kitchen blocked by Mark, looking up into the older man's face calmly. "I'm not apologizing." He said flatly, reading the anger in those cold green eyes.

"I didn't expect you too, I wouldn't."

Randy hadn't expected that and started to say something only to wind up doubled over, clutching his stomach and groaned.

"Hurt her in any way, shape or form and I'll kill you." Mark promised darkly, acid eyes flashing. "I've hurt her enough for two lifetimes and for some reason, you make her happy. Don't fuck it up, boy."

"Got it." Randy wheezed, slowly pulling himself upright.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

It was a good thing Jasina hadn't saw that exchange or else she would've kicked Mark right in the balls, too busy dealing with her hysterical daughter. She had her tightly in her arms stroking her hair, knowing this was quite a shock for Arielle right before she had to go to school. She hadn't lied to her daughter and never would, Jasina hoped Arielle believed her.

"We were going to tell you today when you came over to get your car. I didn't expect you to show up out of the blue at 7 AM with Gary and your father." Jasina pulled back to stare down in her eyes, wiping her tears away. "I love you, Arie. You are the most important person in my life and that will never change. But I do have feelings for Randy and I want to give it a shot with him. I want to be happy again, just like you are with Gary, do you understand?"

"God Mom, don't talk to me like I'm still ten, of course I understand! But the first night I'm out of the house, you're doing the nasty on the COUCH? Where we SIT? Seriously, Mom? I'll never be able to sit there again...you didn't do it anywhere else did you? Because people eat at the table, make food in the kitchen and oh my god...what about the shower? I'll never be able to take a bath here again! Did you use a condom? Are you on the pill?"

HELLFIRE, Randy really hoped she was on the pill, the thought never crossing his mind until now.

"I think we BOTH need beers..." Mark muttered, feeling very uncomfortable.

Jasina sighed warily and didn't expect the barrage of questions that spilled out of her daughter's mouth, feeling a headache approaching rapidly. "Honey, you know your Daddy's kitchen table and the shower at the ranch?" She watched Arielle's eyes widen, not able to help chuckling. "Well we had sex MULTIPLE times in those areas and you STILL ate and showered just fine."

"EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! DADDY!"

Now Jasina wasn't the only one mortified as they all headed back into the apartment, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Sex is not a bad thing, Arie. And we only moved to the living room because...my bed finally broke..." She was going to burn in hell for this.

"MOM, MOM, STOP IT! Did you guys at least disinfect them? You could have fed me sperm!"

Randy actually retrieved three beers; one for him, one for Mark and one for Gary. He and Mark were apparently on truce since Mark had punched him and they were now both mutually humiliated past the point of return. Upon hearing Arielle say that, Randy spat beer out the same time Mark and Gary, all three of them groaning simultaneously.

"Arielle, honestly, do you think your father and I are that irresponsible?" Jasina pinched the bridge of her nose, holding her hand up when Arielle went to ask her something else or say something embarrassing, stopping her. "Enough, you know Randy and I are together now and that's the end of it. The couch will be disinfected and I'm getting a new bed today. Any other mortifying questions or can we move on and get on with our day?"

Gary personally wanted to go on with the day and forget ALL about seeing his future mother-in-law's bare naked rear.

"One, and I've already asked you it, so answer this time: Did you use a condom or are you on a form of birth control? Because if not, you can get the morning-after, Plan B pill without a prescription at the local pharmacy and we also need to schedule you an appointment with your doctor if you're not on anything. Since I DON'T need a sibling who would be eighteen years younger than I am."

Gary shot Randy a look.

"Oh...god..."

Jasina hoped Arielle hadn't asked her about birth control and could already feel the tears swell in her eyes. Her and Randy hadn't even talked about it and suddenly, Jasina felt her eyes narrow to slits at Randy. "Rest easy, Orton, I can't get pregnant again."

Gary's eyes widened and looked over at Mark, the big man's head lowered. "Uh oh..."

"You are my one and only, Arielle. I can't have any more children. There was a complication with my fallopian tubes so...I had to have them removed." She couldn't even look at Randy right now and blinked as tears slid down her cheeks, knowing this was a trip down memory lane Mark didn't want to have. "They said it was a miracle I carried you to full term and I should've miscarried. You're a miracle, a true miracle." It was because of the drugs Jasina had done since she was sixteen years old, but there was no way she was explaining that in front of the kids.

For exactly three point five seconds, Randy had been offended when she called him Orton, since they were WAY past THAT, but then he understood and felt like a total jerk.

Arielle felt like one too and it showed.

Mark closed his eyes and rested his head against the kitchen cupboards, remembering how worried they both had been when Jasina was pregnant with Arielle; Jasina had been so sure she would miscarry and Mark had spent most of her pregnancy praying.

"You didn't know, Arielle..."

"I'm sorry, Mom..." She immediately walked over and hugged her mother tightly around her waist, thankful she was alive.

"Gary's right, you didn't know."

Jasina had felt so guilty after Arielle was born because she thought her daughter deserved better than a cokehead for a mother. That's why she had left Mark with Arielle, just two days after the birth/surgery. Jasina was lucky to be alive and had this beautiful angel in her life, kissing the top of Arielle's head.

"I wouldn't trade a second of my pregnancy with you. You were a very strong, stubborn child and even when I gave up hope, your Daddy never did. I only need one child in my life, I'm blessed to even have that after everything I've done."

Arielle knew exactly what her mother was talking about, simply nodding. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm not, I'd go through it all over again to have you. Now that you know, we can finally move on and you're late for school. Not good for the future valedictorian." She kissed Arielle's forehead, winking with a watery smile. "Get moving."

Arielle snorted derisively. "Home room, and I'm a senior, I get to goof off." She smiled at her Mom, hugging her all over again, feeling bad now for those questions. "I love you, Mom."

Randy was staring at Mark, wondering just what had happened to Jasina to make it so she had such a hard time carrying and could no longer have children. He had understood her explanation, but wanted to know the particulars. However, even if they were now something more than friends, it wasn't necessarily his business; he would have to wait for her to tell him, if ever.

Mark walked out into the living room, looking at Jasina and Arielle intently. "Darlin', school." He reminded gently, having a feeling Jasina might need a moment to get over her rough morning.

Jasina gave Mark a look that purely said 'thank you', watching him nod silently as they all three walked out, after retrieving Arielle's paper with all of her driving logs with Randy. Mark would finish it and Gary looked a little uneasy since he didn't go to high school anymore. That meant he was going to be alone with Mark...since his job was at three AM in the morning. Jasina had to call Trish and see if there was any way to change his hours and job, knowing Gary and Arielle on the same schedule would definitely work better for them. Her eyes finally moved to Randy once Mark shut the door behind him, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Well…that was one hell of a wakeup call."

"You can say that again. Next time, I'd rather we just set an alarm." It was a lame joke, but Randy wasn't exactly in any condition to crack jokes. "I think the mental scarring will eventually go away, for them." He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'm just...that was awkward." Her kid, her kid's boyfriend, and her ex-husband; that had to be the worst morning of his life, especially after hearing Jasina's confession on her pregnancy status. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, never better." Jasina walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of java, desperately needing some after the hellacious morning. "Are you?" Hearing what she said about not being able to have any more children probably wasn't the easiest news to hear. "I know we went on a date last night, but what does this mean? Are we in a relationship or just dating? Does the no baby making bother you? Do you just want to be fuck buddies?" That was probably hitting a little below the belt, but Jasina had to know and had been embarrassed enough to last a lifetime.

"As far as I'm concerned we're in a relationship, though if you want to be...fuck buddies, I don't think I'd turn you down." Randy said, fixing himself a cup as well, looking down at her. "Jasina, the baby thing doesn't bother me; I like kids, but...I never thought I would ever find a woman to have one with until you on top of my job, which isn't exactly baby friendly. If we're together in the future and we decide we would like a child, there are plenty out there that need a home and stable parents."

A few tears fell from Jasina's eyes at Randy's sweet words, setting her spoon down to reach up wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I definitely want a relationship with you." She whispered, feeling her feet leave the ground as Randy set her on the counter, standing between her legs as they kissed softly, tenderly, both engrossed only in each other.

"Good, because I definitely want a relationship with you." Randy murmured when they had parted, glancing at the microwave clock. "We're going to be late for work if we don't hurry up." In his case, hurry up meant go home, shower and put on clean clothes that hadn't spent the night in a rumpled pile on the floor. Randy wasn't too worried about it though, even if their day had started off...rough...it was definitely getting better.

"You're absolutely right."

She pecked him quickly on the lips and hopped down off the counter, pouring him a quick cup of coffee and put two spoonfuls of sugar, handing it over. She'd had a lot of coffee with him since they met and knew exactly how he liked it, accepting another quick kiss from him as a thank you. As he walked out the door, Jasina couldn't help letting out a huge breath and poured herself a cup of coffee, wondering what the future held. All she could see was pure happiness and peace with Randy, Jasina couldn't wait to go on this journey with him and hoped Arielle accepted it fully.

**~!~**

"They all walked in on you; that is just... horrible." Trish said, shaking her head after Jasina had told her about her morning, lowering her head in order to keep her face from going straight to amused, her shoulders shaking with the effort. "Oh god, I'm sorry...that's funny, Jas." She couldn't keep it in, giggling when Jasina shot her a look. "Well come on, from an outside perspective, it is rather amusing. Not so much for Arielle and Gary, poor kids, but Mark seeing Randy and you; THAT is hilarious."

"Maybe to you." Jasina mumbled, not expecting anything less from Trish as they sat in her office going over the upcoming articles she'd written along with 'Ask Jade'. Randy was busy interning Arielle, which was going to be his main objective for awhile, putting investigations to the side until her internship was done. Just another reason why Jasina knew she was falling for him and fast...faster than she cared to admit. "Aside from my humiliation, there is a reason I came in here to talk to you...besides the articles and 'Ask Jade'."

Trish raised an eyebrow, looking mildly alarmed. "What is it?"

"Look, I know you just hired Gary and technically I shouldn't interfere with what he does for the company, but...I really think he has more potential than delivering newspapers at three AM in the morning. Arielle and him want to get an apartment together and I feel, both personally and professionally, that he would be better off working in the mail room. That way they have the same hours."

Not to mention, Jasina felt terrible that her daughter could only spend a few hours a day with her boyfriend when they just reconciled. Folding her hands over the desk, Trish regarded Jasina thoughtfully. She respected her friend and knew she wouldn't even bring this up if she didn't think Gary had potential outside of delivering papers, she hoped.

"He has no degree yet and I can't intern him to Randy or pass him off onto anyone else. What exactly is he majoring in anyway?" Trish asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jasina had to think about it for a minute because she honestly couldn't recall Gary telling her, suddenly remembering Arielle talking to her about Gary wanting to major in business. She figured that's what it was since the boy was going back to school in the fall, having taken some time off so he could find one close to Houston and Arielle. "Business." She immediately regretted saying that word as Trish's brown eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, biting back a groan and had a feeling she just signed Gary's one way ticket to hell.

"That actually works out just great, for me and him both." Trish said, the grin never leaving her face. "I need a personal assistant, and his hours will be better as will the pay. Not to mention his resume will definitely be spiced up with me on there." She had no idea that Jasina was now thinking Gary was going to need professional help for his soon to be shot nerves. "What do you think?"

A BIG part of her wanted to say this wasn't a very good idea, but the small business part of her knew Trish was right. Having Trish Stratus on his resume, especially if and when he did a great job for her, would definitely open a lot of doors for him. Jasina hoped Gary didn't hate her for this and simply smiled, nodding.

"I think that sounds fantastic." Jasina halfway lied, trying to sound as smooth as possible. "I think he'll love working as your PA."

"I'm sure he will, I'm a very agreeable person to work for." Trish said, nodding happily and smiling. "But then you already know that. Have him in here first thing tomorrow morning and I'll do an interview; I'll hire him most likely, but...you know how it goes, have to have the paperwork. Oh, and let him know, he has to wear formal clothes…well, professional clothes. Khakis and dress shirts. Does he need money to buy some? We can write it off as a business expense."

"I'll take care of it since I'm the one who mentioned a job change."

Jasina felt so guilty, she knew Arielle wasn't going to like this, but Gary would be making a lot more money than delivering stupid newspaper. He wouldn't be doing grunt work...at least not out at three AM. Trish could be agreeable person when she wanted to be, though while pregnant...Jasina decided she would be having a chat with Gary and mentioning what to do and what NOT to do for at least the next two months.

"Unless you want to do it through the business." When Trish simply cut her check for a couple hundred, Jasina had her answer and tucked it in her purse, smiling. "Thanks for doing this, hon. I know it'll make both of them extremely happy."

"Of course, this could also be applied as a learning credit towards his business degree." Trish added thoughtfully, knowing that while assistants rarely handled actual business themselves they did learn from their bosses. "Hmm...Anyway, send him in the morning and he and I will go over anything. Oh, and when you see Randy, send him in here; he and I need to have a chat as well before I forget." She looked down at her notes, glad she had written them out while the thoughts occurred, pregnancy was making her forgetful.

"Will do." Jasina walked out of Trish's office and bumped right into Randy, smiling when he handed her a cup of java. "Payback from this morning?" When he simply kissed her cheek, Jasina blushed and sipped her coffee, stopping him from walking away. "Trish needs to see you in her office, she told me to tell you when I ran into you. Have fun." Jasina headed back to her office and immediately got to work, hoping the day flew so she could give Gary the semi-good news and take him shopping for new clothes. "God I hope I did the right thing..."

After making small talk with Trish which also involved hearing the news about Gary, -god help that poor boy, Randy was going to have to give him a crash session on what to do and don't do or say in front of women later- Trish got down to the reason she had wanted to see him. With Arielle in school for a remaining three months, he had time to expand on some stories they had come across and since they were potentially dangerous, he could do them while Arielle was in class. Afterwards, he was heading for the door when Trish stopped him.

"This morning, how mortifying was it?" Trish asked with an evil smirk on her face.

Randy groaned, turning to look at her and groaned again, she was looking innocent and devious. "Let me put it this way: I would rather go back to Iraq than go through THAT again."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Gary was very surprised when he got a call from Jasina, giving her his cell phone number, asking if they could spend some time together after she got off work. She had some big news for him. He knew it had something to do with the job and grinned, texting Arielle letting her know he wouldn't be home when she got there. It would give her some quality time with her father while Gary got to know his future mother-in-law. If Gary knew even a FRACTION of what he was about to get himself into with the company, he would've ran in the opposite direction.

"You sure you don't want me to talk to him?" Randy asked jokingly when Jasina told him what she had done at the end of the day, leaning in her office doorway, arms folded over his muscular chest. "I have a list of things to avoid, made just for him." When she sighed, he walked over to begin massaging her shoulders. "It'll be fine, Trish isn't that bad- Okay, she can be, but I'm sure he'll understand it's only the pregnancy. It is only the pregnancy, right?"

"We can only hope." Jasina muttered jokingly, leaning into his hands and let out a soft moan, eyes drifting shut. "You can talk to him after I'm done taking him shopping...Mmm that feels good..." She loved his hands anywhere on her body; glad her office door was closed and groaned when he hit a sore spot on her neck. "I don't think it'll be that bad, Gary is a strong kid and I think he can handle working under Trish..." Maybe Jasina should've asked Steve's opinion before opening her mouth.

"After everything that boy has gone through, especially as of late, this is going to be a cakewalk; he's got a spine. Sort of. Most of the time. Quit glaring at me." He gently reached out to turn her head back forward so she wasn't eyeballing him over her shoulder. "Arie can make him bend under her thumb, so he has half a spine when it comes to women." Teasing Jasina was funny, so long as she didn't decide to remove HIS spine.

'Just like her momma.' Jasina thought with a proud grin, knowing she had Mark under her thumb and now it was Randy's turn. He just didn't realize it yet. Then again, he could also bend her and Jasina would never admit that to anyone, especially him. "They love each other; Arie will probably end up going to Steve and demand him to tell Trish to take it easy on Gary." She snorted; like THAT was going to stop Trish from doing what she wanted? "Poor Steve..."

"No kidding, poor guy has his balls cut off."

Randy shook his head, having seen Arielle with Gary and knew she had gotten it from her mother because Mark sure as hell didn't make Jasina bend to him obviously. He wasn't like that, he wasn't bending for her; he wouldn't tolerate being treated like a bitch. Randy believed in fifty/fifty and mutual respect; not the 'I'm female and you will DIE if you don't do what I say' crap that Trish and Steve's relationship was.

"Shit, I got to go Jas, got to make a run downtown." Randy pulled a face, not much liking the idea of smelling like chlorine again. "If my hair turns blonde, I will shave it all off."

"Okay, text me later and please try not to destroy what little hair you have. I like something to hold onto."

Jasina accepted his quick kiss with a giggle and watched him rush out the door, deciding it was time to pack up as well because Gary was expecting her shortly. The articles were pretty much finished, Trish definitely would be happy with her work like usual. Jasina packed up and walked out of the office, heading to Mark's ranch, still wondering if it was a good idea that Gary was about to become Trish's gopher boy.

Gary knew whatever position Jasina had managed to potentially procure for him would definitely be better than working the paper route. He didn't mind the hours or delivering papers so much as the fact that it wasn't exactly the best paying job, or that he hardly seen Arie without having to drink a pot of coffee by himself just to make it through half the day. If it was just him, Gary wouldn't have cared, but he wasn't happy with sleeping their relationship away either.

Knocking, Jasina heard both rumbles of 'come in' through the screen door and walked inside, down the hallway into the kitchen. Arielle had went from school straight to the newspaper office to her internship with Randy, which is probably why he had to head downtown to meet her. Mark was cooking...that was definitely different to see and Gary looked really nervous, Jasina honestly didn't blame him.

"Hey Gary, you ready to go?"

"What job am I gonna be doing now?"

Talk about cutting right to the chase. "Well..." Jasina cleared her throat, keeping a smile on her face. "You're going to be working for Trish as her personal assistant. It pays better than delivering papers and you'll have almost the same hours as Arie. But I have to take you shopping for...casual dress clothes that don't have holes in the knees." She eyed his holey jeans. "So come on let's go, champ!"

"She's not, bad, right? I mean, I know Arie said she's moody, but she can't be that bad, right?"

Mark had to fake a cough to hide the fact that he had just snorted, feeling more pity for Gary than he would have ever thought himself capable of. Working for Trish? As her assistant? He could already picture the boy having a nervous breakdown and turned to look at Jasina and then to Gary, who looked like he was already starting to freak out.

"It won't be that bad and you'll be able to save up money faster for an apartment." Jasina was trying like hell to sound positive and walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This is a good thing, Gary. You and Arie will have the same hours, you won't be seeing each other just a few hours out of the day and the money will be fantastic. Trish isn't that bad..." She was lying through her teeth about that last part, but Jasina had to calm him down somehow.

Mark knew she was lying through her teeth and shot her a look over the top of Gary's head, smirking when she returned it with a 'don't you open your mouth' glare, miming zipping his lips. He wasn't saying anything. The kid wasn't a kid, but a full grown man and would eventually wind up dealing with women even worse than Trish…maybe. He then wondered how Arielle would be if she ever got pregnant and didn't like that thought at all.

Not how she would be, but her being pregnant in general.

Mark was a bit tempted to scare the boy by telling him the truth. Horror stories of what Trish had put Steve through with this pregnancy filtered through his mind, but knew when Arielle seen the grey hair that hadn't been there this morning, he would be busted. Instead, Mark just shrugged his shoulders, busy peeling potatoes for fried onions and potatoes.

"She's pregnant, it's natural."

"What is natural?"

"Having a mood swing or two."

"It happens with all pregnant women. Believe me, if you had to squeeze the size of a watermelon out of the size of a lemon, you'd be a little more sympathetic toward Trish and thank her for this opportunity." Jasina said sternly, folding her arms in front of her chest, watching as Gary lowered his eyes to the floor.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Jasina beamed instantly and pulled him over to give him a side hug. "Now cheer up, this is a great opportunity. Mark, I'll have him back before ten, let Arie know." She walked out with a guilt-ridden Gary, ruffling his hair to let him know everything was fine.

Oh Christ... she was turning Gary into a push-over and Trish was going to cement the process by molding him into another Steve. Mark genuinely felt bad for the kid and was going to have to somehow man him up. There was nothing worse than having a woman walk all over a man. Pregnant women were the exception, except when it came to Steve. Mark made a mental note to buy his buddy a six-pack, maybe one for Gary too.

"Have fun with that."

"Why does it sound ominous when he says it?"

"It's not."

Jasina shot a glare over her shoulder at Mark as she guided Gary down the hallway, trying to make him feel better. If Arielle was with them, it would be a cake walk, but Gary also noticed the way Trish treated Steve, she was sure of that. Driving away from the ranch, Jasina decided to hit the mall where they could get everything in one shot.

"You don't mind wearing khaki's and dress pants do you?"

"I like khaki's and dress pants actually, they feel better than jeans."

Something Gary would never admit to Arielle or Mark, who both seemed to live in denim unless they absolutely positively had to wear something else. He had grown up wearing cheaply made denim, not exactly a fond memory. To him, dress slacks were the very opposite of that.

"I think I'd prefer black slacks though. Um, where is the money coming from again?"

"Trish is writing it off as an office expense, which it is because you're getting new clothes in order to have the proper dress for the job." Jasina explained while driving downtown, glancing over at him and could see the excitement in his dark eyes.

So he enjoyed dress pants...Jasina wouldn't tell Arielle because she was a denim lover thanks to her father. Gary knew working for Trish meant he would never get away with wearing jeans like Randy occasionally did and he was alright with that. However, when they pulled into the mall parking lot, he looked at Jasina.

"Just how expensive are these pants? Because Wal-Mart carries them." He was a boy from a poor background, who managed his money the best he could and it showed, but if this job meant he could support himself and Arielle, he wasn't going to screw it up.

"Relax, you're not paying for them and Trish wants you to have the best. Wal-Mart pants fall apart too easily."

She knew all too well, having stopped shopping there for clothes after only having a pair of pants for three months. They had shredded in her dryer and Jasina was against Wal-Mart clothing from then on. That and Trish had somewhat corrupted her to buy things from the mall because they were better quality and lasted longer.

"Come on, got a lot to do and not much time to do it." They walked inside the mall, Jasina allowing Gary to choose the stores he wanted.

The one and only time Gary could honestly remember going to a mall, or a store outside of thrift and cheapies, was when he had bought Arielle's promise ring. He point blank refused to buy her something that might turn her finger that ugly shade of green some women wound up with. This time around...he eyeballed several men's retailers, feeling out of his element as he led Jasina into the nearest one. Well, at least he wouldn't have to wear a suit.

Jasina could clearly tell this wasn't Gary's forte so she decided to help him out, pointing to stores she felt wouldn't be too expensive, but had great quality clothes. Gary tried on one pair of pants and a shirt, walking out of the mall two hours later with ten pairs of pants, ten shirts, socks, two pairs of shoes, boxer briefs -that had been embarrassing to say the least- and ten ties that matched with each outfit. Jasina was exhausted by the time they got back to the car, though Gary looked happy, needing a glass of wine and Randy as she headed back to the ranch.

Gary was kind of wishing it had been Randy who had gone with him, actually there was no kind of about it. He loved Jasina like she was his own mother, only not because that would have been creepy considering he was dating her daughter, but...shopping with her for all those things had been weird. It would've been less weird with another guy.

Halfway to the ranch, Jasina received a call from Mark telling her that Gary and Arielle were staying with her tonight. That was interesting. She didn't ask the reasoning and thanked him before slipping her phone in her purse, turning around heading back to the apartment.

"Uhhh where are we going now?" Gary didn't want to do anymore shopping.

"Apparently, you and Arie are staying with me tonight." Jasina sounded confused and happy at the same time, looking over at Gary. "Do you know anything about this?"

"No, Arie hasn't texted me yet." Gary frowned, wondering what was going on as he stared out the window. "What time do I start tomorrow?"

"Eight A.M. sharp."

Meanwhile, Randy and Arielle were busy cooking because Randy wanted to surprise Jasina with a romantic dinner for two since the kids were staying at Mark's that night.

"Mom took Gary...shoppin'?" Arielle blinked at Randy in bewilderment.

"You don't have to sound so surprised, what does it say next?" Randy asked distractedly.

"Sauté the mushrooms with the olive oil, onions and garlic."

"What the hell does sauté mean?" It was Randy's turn to look bewildered.

"Hmm, looks like your romantic hour has been cancelled, Gary and I are spendin' the night here." Arielle commented after reading her text message from her Dad. "Sorry Randy...I know you were tryin' to make this mornin' up to my Mom."

"Arie, I told you earlier to never bring that up, ever, ever again. Shit, it's burning!" Randy began putting out the fire with oven mitts, groaning when Arielle splashed water all over him and the stove. "I can order out?"

"You do that, I'll clean this up. We can pull a Mrs. Doubtfire."

It took him a minute to catch that reference. "Good thinking."

The take-out arrived just before Jasina pulled up to the apartment building, the car driving away from a rather expensive pasta restaurant. She really wanted a night alone with Randy, but would never pass up the opportunity to spend time with her daughter. They stepped out and headed up the stairs, Jasina letting out a long yawn while Gary dragged his bags with him. She slipped the key in and stopped, seeing the lights on underneath and looked back at Gary, knowing it was Arielle.

"Momma's home!" Jasina announced tossing open the door and smiled at the sight of Arielle and Randy at the kitchen table, eyes widening at all the food. "Oh my god!"

Randy and Arielle exchanged looks, both of them obviously wondering if they would get away with this. Randy had taken the containers and everything else that might tip off they had ordered out to his apartment to be disposed of later. If this worked, he was going to buy Arielle a year's worth of pizza, loaded with mushrooms, which was the way she seemed to like it.

Arielle grabbed Gary by the hand. "Come on, show me what you bought." She dragged him down the hallway where their own meal was waiting on her bed, throwing Randy a wink over her shoulder.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"What is this about?" It smelled heavenly and Jasina felt her stomach rumbling violently, completely starving after her two hour shopping trip with Gary. She hadn't eaten since lunch at noon so this food was making her mouth completely water. "Arielle helped you didn't she?" When Randy just grinned, Jasina walked over and hugged him tightly around the neck, planting a passionate kiss on his lips that curled both their toes. "Thank you." She took her shoes off, tossing them to the side and sat down at the table before digging in, the rolls the first thing she going for along with salad.

Yes, Arielle had helped. She'd hidden the now burnt useless oven mitts and scrubbed down the stove so it was nearly impossible to tell he had almost caught the apartment on fire. Now THAT would have sucked. His girlfriend of one day coming home to find the entire building going up in flames because he couldn't even cook her dinner.

"How'd the shopping go?" Randy asked, pouring them each a glass of wine before joining her.

"I never want to go through that again." Jasina said quietly, just in case the kids suddenly came out to surprise them, taking a long sip of her wine after it was poured. He was even romantic enough to add long stemmed candles, the lights dimmed enough to where they could see their plates and each other, but not blinding like normal. "I should've had you take him, but I knew you were busy with the interning and Trish wants him to start tomorrow. Didn't really have a choice. Lord knows Mark wouldn't do anything remotely like that because he loathes the mall."

"I would have made the time to take him; I bet you made the kid buy new drawers." Randy smirked when her face gave it away, toasting her with his glass. "Thought so. So tomorrow he starts with Trish...That will be interesting and a good experience for him, very educational." He made a note to use this place he had ordered their food the next time he wanted to impress her with his culinary skills, but to never actually TAKE her there.

"It'll look good on his resume when he finally does leave the company, if he decides to, in order to pursue an even better job. Trish has a lot of stroke throughout this city." Jasina praised, taking a bite out of the seafood pasta and groaned, dipping a piece of lobster in the butter container that was already set up. She wondered where Randy got that from and chalked it up to bringing it from his apartment. Granted, his apartment didn't look very culinary, but everyone had special hidden talents. "This is delicious, thank you so much."

The last time Jasina had a candlelit dinner like this, it was the night before she went into labor with Arielle; Mark wanted to do something nice for her. That had been a LONG time ago and Jasina suddenly soaked up every single second of this moment. Randy almost felt guilty for tricking her like this, but it had been a last minute thing after his botched attempt at cooking and she seemed to really enjoy it.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it." He said, savoring a bite of his own food, groaning softly. Definitely would have to remember that place! "What happened to Arielle and Gary spending the night at her Dad's? Not that I'm complaining or anything." Definitely not, he owed Arielle big time.

"No idea, Mark just called me up and said Arie was over here and she was staying the night with Gary." Jasina shrugged, honestly not minding and took another bite, this time a tiny shrimp. "How did you know I liked seafood?" Jasina suddenly asked, the wine going spectacular with the meal and smiled when he poured her some more.

"Educated guess."

Randy winked at her, another tip he had gotten from Arielle, that one he didn't mind if she guessed. He was a bit curious about Mark suddenly asking for Arielle and Gary to spend the night elsewhere considering they had just reconciled, wondering idly if the other man had finally moved on. Randy certainly hoped so; he didn't feel like having to constantly remind the guy who Jasina was with now, though if seeing him butt naked this morning with her hadn't cemented that, then he didn't know what would.

They finished dinner and cleaned up, putting the leftovers in the fridge, both feeling like stuffed turkeys. Jasina was definitely taking some of the seafood pasta with her for lunch tomorrow and hoped Randy took some of it as well because there was way too much for her to eat alone. She smiled as his arms wrapped around her waist, feeling his lips seal to her neck and Jasina leaned back, her hand moving to run her fingers through his hair.

"Mmm you're such a tease..." Jasina moaned and slowly turned in his arms passionately kissing him, feeling her legs swept beneath her as Randy carried her out of the kitchen toward the hallway. "The bed...is broke..." She reminded him, burying her face in his neck to tease him a little, inhaling his incredible scent.

"Uh huh, that bed is indeed broken." He agreed with a knowing smile, groaning when she didn't stop teasing him. "If I drop you before we reach the bedroom, Jas, you can't hold me responsible." Randy warned, finally nudging the door open and turned so she could see, carefully putting her down on her feet. "What do you think?"

In place of the broken bed stood a beautiful four poster king sized masterpiece painted in amber and red and lay low to the floor so it had plenty of support. The canopy was amazing and all Jasina could do was stare at it in adoration, sliding her hands up to cover his that rested on her shoulders. "When did you...how did you...?" Jasina couldn't even speak, slowly turning around to stare up in his beautiful blue eyes, his forehead pressing against hers. "Thank you, it's magnificent."

She kissed him and pushed the door closed with her hand over his shoulder, wanting to break the new bed in with the man that had changed her entire world. Jasina hoped Arielle and Gary were keeping themselves preoccupied and had the music up because nothing was stopping her from properly thanking her boyfriend. Fortunately for them, Gary and Arielle did have the music way up. Arielle had glanced out into the dining room and, when she didn't find her mom or Randy, had assumed they were off breaking another bed and rolled her eyes.

"You know, WE could be having sex for all they know." She informed her boyfriend as she rejoined him on the bed.

Gary chuckled as he pulled Arielle against him, nuzzling her neck while wrapping his arm around her waist. "Yes we could." Arielle was suddenly guided on her back as soon as Gary's lips descended on hers, wrapping her legs around his waist, knowing they could make love without Jasina ever knowing. She was busy getting laid and Gary wanted to take the next step with his girlfriend, pulling back to stare into her emerald eyes. "I love you and I want you, Arie." He stated in a raspy voice, watching her chew on her bottom lip thoughtfully, slowly grinding against her while attacking her neck.

Arielle moaned against him, though she wasn't sure if she was ready to go to the next step, trembling from head to toe. "Gary, I've never..." She flushed deeply when Gary pulled back to look in her eyes again, feeling her cheeks burning. "I-It's not that I don't want to..."The thought of having sex the same time her mother was turned Arielle off though as she caressed his face tenderly. "How about we wait to get our own place and the night we move in, we'll have sex?"

A slow smirk curved Gary's lips as he softly kissed her again. "Promise?" He rumbled, loving the feeling of her tremble against him because it was from contained desire.

"I promise."

They both ended up falling asleep after heavily making out, Gary's head resting on her chest while Arielle had her arm draped over his shoulders, both of them really wanting their own apartment now instead of later.

Graduation couldn't arrive soon enough.

Randy woke up before Jasina, rolling out of bed gently so he didn't disturb her. After pulling back on his jeans and buttoning them up -he was constantly checking his buttons now, after that episode when he had somewhat flashed everyone when he had come running-, he headed to use the bathroom, halting when he seen one bedroom door completely open and the bed still made, which was... weird. He then pushed open the other bedroom door, arching an eyebrow when he spotted Gary and Arielle.

On one hand, they weren't supposed to sleep in the same room. On the other, they were both clothed and look rather... peaceful, and cute, not that he was admitting it outside his own mind. His problem was: Did he wake them and get them back in their own beds before Jasina seen it or let her either explode or shrug it off when she seen them?

Gary was shook awake along with Arielle, both of them slowly opening her eyes wider at the sight of Randy. "Oh shit." Gary grunted, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and looked over at Arielle, who had the same expression on her face. "W-We didn't do anything, Randy..."

"Please don't tell my Mom." Arielle watched Randy simply smile and waved his hand, letting them know their secret was safe with him. "Gary, we need to get up before Mom does." She hopped out of bed, shoved his shirt in his hands and pushed him right out the door, shutting it behind her.

Today was Gary's first day on his new job and this definitely wasn't a good omen. Heading straight for his room to get dressed in the new clothes, Gary could only hope Randy didn't say anything to Jasina. Granted, once they had their own apartment Jasina couldn't say jack about them sleeping in the same bed, but it was an honest accident that he'd fallen asleep with Arielle.

It couldn't happen again under his roof either.

Randy wasn't going to say a word to Jasina, but he was going to say a word to Gary, having every intention of driving the boy to work if Jasina would take Arielle to school, figuring he would offer the man some friendly advice. It wasn't his job to lecture or anything, but he could give the kid a word of caution. Especially about sleeping in the same bed as Arielle, in Arielle's mother's house, when they both knew the rules. Not to mention when considering that both Jasina and Mark had agreed to the pair getting an apartment, not exactly a great way to reassure the 'rents they were doing the right thing. He started the coffee pot to brewing after handling his morning business and headed back to the bedroom, wondering how he should wake Jasina up, smirking wickedly.

Jasina stumbled out of the bedroom a half an hour later in one of Randy's t-shirts she hijacked, her hair haphazard with a grinning Randy following, licking his lips. Of course he would be, the man just had a feast on her vagina, his wicked way of waking her up. Not that Jasina was complaining because she couldn't stop smiling, the sparkly gaze in her teal eyes.

"Coffee." Jasina murmured, giving him a hot kiss before heading into the bathroom, letting out a loud yawn.

She had so much to do today and wondered how Gary was feeling about starting his new job, hoping Trish went easy on him. First a shower, then she would eat something for breakfast, take Arielle to school while Randy took Gary to the office, having asked if he could because he wanted to talk to the boy about a few things regarding the job. Pointers in other words.

"We're having French toast for breakfast." Arielle announced as Randy plodded out into the kitchen, stepping aside so he could start fixing both his and Jasina's cups of coffee. "Mom up?"

"Mmmhmm…" He eyed her speculatively, arching an eyebrow when she smiled sweetly. "French toast, huh?"

"Gary's getting dressed and yes, you're favorite, right?"

She was kissing ass and he bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Yes and relax, I'm not saying a word. I'm going home to grab a quick shower and change; I'll be back so save me some of those."

Arielle nodded, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Something smells heavenly." Jasina commented as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel with a robe on because of the kids, knowing Arielle made breakfast.

She loved her daughter's cinnamon French toast sprinkled with white sugar powder. They were the best and didn't require syrup because of how sweet they were by themselves. Jasina changed into a purple suede skirt with a matching cardigan and silver dress shirt beneath, doing her hair in a few loose curls to give it bounce. She put black eyeliner on with shimmery lavender eye shadow with purple gloss that just had a slight tint to it. Slipping on two inch heels that strapped up her calves, Jasina was finally ready for work and walked out, smiling when Gary handed her a cup of coffee, winking.

"You excited about today?"

"Sure." Gary wore a grey short sleeved shirt that buttoned up the front with dark blue slacks and a pair of black dress shoes. "I'm also nervous too."

"I figured." Jasina smiled encouragingly and sat down at the table, sipping her java with a sigh while Arielle set the table with breakfast, knowing Randy had gone to his own place to get ready for work. "This looks amazing, thanks sweetheart."

"No problem, my way of saying thanks for all you've done lately, Mom."

Gary wondered how much longer his girlfriend was going to suck up, chuckling.

When Randy came back, he wasn't surprised to find everyone eating and eyeballed Arielle suspiciously. "You got powdered sugar on your nose." He said, looking towards the kitchen, wondering if she had eaten his.

"I saved you two."

"Are you serious? Whatever happened to making them for me?" Randy mock pouted.

"And Mom, because I appreciate you both."

Gary busied himself with the rest of his food.

"Uh huh, hey there's more than two out here. Arie, you suck, you know that, right?"

"Nothing like denying a guy food to get his blood pumping."

Jasina laughed softly, wondering what was going on between Randy and Arielle, deciding not to question it. They were always communicating in different ways and Jasina just ate her breakfast, being careful not to get anything on her outfit. When she caught Randy eyeing her, Jasina smirked with gleaming teal eyes and didn't say anything as she sipped some more coffee. Once breakfast finished, Jasina went her separate ways with Arielle while Randy took Gary, promising to see him later at the office.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"So, graduation is coming up, what day is it exactly?"

"June seventh, I think I get the information tomorrow and my cap and gown is already paid for. Dad took care of it."

"Good, we'll definitely be throwing you another party, only this time it won't turn out disastrous." She hoped anyway.

"Dad already promised I could shoot him with his hunting rifle if he ruined it." Arielle said, with just a hint of viciousness in her tone, not about to suffer ANOTHER party like her graduation party. "Though I don't want it at the ranch, and here is too small."

Mark really did feel terrible about what he did to Arielle's birthday party and Jasina couldn't help smiling, nodding. "Good, I'll be shooting him too if he even steps a TOE out of line." Jasina vowed darkly, taking her daughter's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I have a feeling your father won't pull anymore stunts like that. So, where do you want to have this graduation bash?"

"I don't know yet. Toni's Mom offered her restaurant, do you think that would be okay?" She said we can use her kitchens, the dining rooms, but not the bar obviously and we'd have to bring our own decorations and foods." But given that the restaurant was nice and being offered for free...that seemed quite reasonable to her.

"That sounds good to me, I'm sure your father will go with anything you want at this point." When Arielle's eyes lit up, Jasina chuckled and knew she was excited about graduating ahead of her class, very proud of her daughter. "I'll set something up with Toni's Mom to discuss plans in a few weeks."

"Wicked Mom! Just do it soon so she has a date, that way she can put up notice about the restaurant being closed on a certain day."

Once Jasina dropped Arielle off, she immediately called Mark and smiled when he picked up on the third ring, hearing some shuffling going on. "Hey Mark, Arielle wants to have her graduation party at Toni's Mom's restaurant and for the life of me, I don't remember what her name is. I don't want to call there, making the reservation sounding like an idiot. Help me please."

It took Mark a moment to understand what Jasina was asking. "Lashonna, how do you not remember the woman's name, Jas?" He yawned, obviously having just woken up. "She's the black woman with the long braids who keeps telling you yer too damn bony and tryin' to fatten you up."

"Well excuse the hell out of me, I've had a lot on my mind lately." Jasina somewhat snapped back at him, taking offense to what he said, and sighed when he just snorted in her ear.

"Baby, who is that?"

"Oh god." Jasina instantly hung up on him and tossed her cell phone in the passenger seat, slamming on her breaks before she ended up rear-ending a truck. "SHIT!" Jasina could not believe she'd just called Mark while he was in the middle of...No wonder he wanted the kids to stay over last night! She was angry and floored it to the office, already running late, surprised to shed a few tears.

She had hung up on him!

Mark stared at the phone in his hand, the dial tone seeming to be a bit too loud before shrugging and hanging it up. She had moved on and was now dating her co-worker Randy, he had had the unpleasantness of getting firsthand visual knowledge of that. He couldn't hold out for reconciliation when none was coming and quite frankly, he didn't deserve it.

"Nobody important, darlin'..." His attention was diverted by his newest...friend, the thought of Jasina saying something to Arielle crossing his mind. He made a mental note to talk to his daughter immediately.

**~!~**

"Gary, Jasina trusts you with Arielle." Randy launched right in as he and Gary headed for work, trying to keep his tone from sounding like a parent or lecturing. "I know I'm not your Dad, or Arie's, but...Arielle is seventeen and you both live in Jasina's house. She and Mark are trusting you to keep your word and considering they're letting you and Arielle move in together shortly..." He wasn't good at this. "Are you following me at all? Because I don't like sounding like a nag."

"You don't." Gary knew what he did was wrong and being caught by Randy instead of Jasina was a definite eye opener. "I honestly didn't mean to fall asleep in her room. It WON'T happen again. I respect Jasina too much to disrespect her like that in her own home." Even though he tried seducing Arielle into having sex with him under Jasina's roof. He suddenly felt extremely guilty. "Thanks for not saying anything, Randy. You're a cool guy."

"I am very cool. Don't let me catch you and her again or else I'll show you my un-cool side." Randy cautioned. "This was a onetime thing only. I like you kid, but...I'm on Jasina's side, I'm sure you know why." For the same reason Gary was on Arielle's side, men were wrapped.

"Yes sir." Gary nodded, knowing he really had to be cautious until he got his own place with Arielle, deciding to change the subject. "So, anything I should know or be aware of with Trish?" He asked somewhat nervously, remembering how Mark tried warning him about something, but Jasina had pulled him out of the house before he could. "Please tell me if there's anything, I know she's pregnant and..."

"Yeah, pregnant, keyword there. I have NO idea what Trish is like when she isn't pregnant and hormonal because I haven't been there THAT long. However..." Randy knew he was going to scare the boy but figured he needed to know. "She's moody, so when she goes from insanely happy to royally pissed off over nothing, don't change YOUR attitude, or suck up, or be extra polite because she'll then CALL you on it." Which she had done to him when he had gone from chatting casually with her to being super-cautious and polite, not a good moment. "Just do your job, try to learn quick and you'll be fine. And don't bitch about any jobs she gives you and she'll probably give you gopher jobs because that's what you are: Her gopher."

"Got it." Gary squeaked out, swallowing hard and wondered if delivering papers at three AM would be better than being a hormonal pregnant Trish's gopher. "Thanks for being honest." He looked up at the building as Randy parked his car, stepping out slowly and shoved his hands in the front pocket of his slacks, hoping he looked professional enough. So many things flew through Gary's mind, he really wished Arielle or even Jasina was with him, but all he had was Randy. "Here goes nothing." Stepping through the doors, Gary knew he'd automatically entered purgatory, especially when a beautiful pregnant brunette instantly came toward them.

"Buck up kid, it'll pass." Randy said in his ear before nodding to Trish. "Morning, boss."

"Morning Randy, good morning Gary." Trish greeted cheerfully. "Where's Jasina?"

"On her way, she had to take Arielle to school."

"Alright, come on, we're going to go walk around the floor to dislodge this foot from my ribs while I give you a list of duties you'll be performing. Go grab the clipboard off my desk please, you'll need it."

She was in a good mood, Randy left them at it.

Trish could clearly tell something was wrong with Jasina as soon as she stepped foot in the office, frowning, and wanted to know what was going on. However, she had a new gopher boy she was training, smiling when he walked back over with the thousand copies she asked for. Gary learned fast and was quiet, too quiet, but Trish figured that was how he was. She would definitely ask Jasina later on once the woman stopped having smoke coming out of her ears.

"No good son of a bitch, mother fucker..." Jasina mumbled in her office, slamming the door shut behind her so she could have some privacy and sat down behind her desk, ready to just delve into her work.

Granted, Jasina had moved on with Randy, but that didn't mean it hurt any less to find out Mark was moving on too! It bothered her and she didn't understand why. Pushing it out of her mind for the time being, Jasina's fingers began flying over the keys of her laptop, just letting the words come to her.

Since he had been living with Jasina for a while now, Gary had learned to tell when she was in a mood, sort of and he could definitely tell something was wrong, wondering if he should tell Randy or something. This was the workplace and he was busy learning that no matter how many copies he thought were too many. He was still short of how many there apparently should be and that when setting up a business meeting, anyone who tried to sweet talk Trish into rearranging things to suit their own ends was talked out of it just as quickly. Gary found that very educational since she was a pro at handling all the bullshitters who seemed to be bothering her.

Randy had no idea something was wrong with Jasina; he was busy arranging finished pictures onto a sample template to send down to printing, a half finished article waiting for his attention next.

**~!~**

Randy never found out about how upset Jasina was because she was all roses by the time he saw her again. Jasina wasn't telling anyone what she found out, especially Arielle, deciding to let Mark tell his daughter he was moving on. It wasn't her business and she was falling for Randy, refusing to even call Mark with anything other than strictly Arielle business.

Graduation plans were coming along fantastic, thanks to Trish and LaShonna's help, the time flying by. Soon, Mark was nothing more than a faded memory cast in the wind as Jasina completely threw herself into her relationship with Randy, giving him all of her when she said the three words she thought she'd never say to another man. She loved him and Jasina was happy that Randy felt the same way, both of them becoming even more intimate and passionate with each other.

Jasina wanted to ask Randy to move in with her, but didn't know how to go about doing it, especially with Arielle's graduation looming on the horizon. So many things were happening, so many changes, and Jasina felt like her head was spinning as she tried keeping up with the time. Before she knew it, the night before Arielle's graduation party arrived, her ceremony was in the morning and the party was afterwards, everyone ready for possibly the most important day of Arielle's life.

Randy let himself in the apartment they were pretty much both living in at this point, with the key she had had made off for him, smiling from ear to ear. "Jas, you home?" He called, shutting the door behind him and dropping his duffel bag down against the wall.

Usually, he would put it away but not tonight, he was going to need it relatively soon. He pulled out a small manila packet and headed for the bedroom when he heard her call out, knowing she was probably working on an article or something; she had been so busy lately, but then again, so had he. He had been working long hours, trying to get everything wrapped up here because he...He grinned when he walked into the room, dropping down onto the bed, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Mmm...Hello."

"Hey handsome."

Jasina immediately closed her laptop after saving her work, trying to get caught up on things, but Randy's lips were more important at the moment. She kissed him again, this time a little more heated, slowly pulling back when both of them were breathless. Those blue eyes stared at her in pure adoration and Jasina still hadn't gotten used to it after four months, but she was slowly getting there, rubbing her nose against his. She wore a simple magenta colored negligee, deciding to surprise him because Arielle was staying at Mark's tonight while Gary was at his own apartment, having recently acquired it.

"You're in a good mood, anything I can do to make it even better?"

"Oh, I can think of a thing or two." Randy set the packet down on the floor before grabbing her shoulders and rolling onto his back, taking her with him so she was sprawled out on top of his chest, his hands moving down her sides, loving the feel of the silk beneath his palms and to her ass, squeezing gently. "You work too hard, Jasina." He murmured, smiling when she bent down to kiss him. "You need to learn how to play."

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black." Jasina retorted, running her hands down his muscular chest.

Beginning to unbutton the annoying shirt he had on, Jasina wanted to feel his skin against her fingertips. The feeling of his hands on her panty clad ass was enough to drive Jasina completely crazy. Maybe Randy was right, maybe she did need to learn how to play and leaned down to run the tip of her tongue against his lips, outlining them, smirking when he shivered against her.

"Mmm I know how to play, I just didn't know if you'd be in the mood for it." Next her lips began attacking his neck, her silk negligee brushing against his bare chest.

Randy snorted at that, wondering if the woman had lost her mind. She didn't know if he'd be in the mood for it? For her? He was always in the mood when it came to Jasina. Growling, he rolled suddenly and pinned her down onto the bed, his darkening blue eyes raking over her form.

"Uh huh..." He could already imagine her in Australia, smirking into her neck, wondering if maybe he shouldn't let her get some rest.

If Jasina knew what Randy was thinking and envisioning, she wouldn't have been happy, so it was a good she had no idea yet. Jasina loved the look in his eyes and managed to pull the rest of the shirt from his body, tossing it to the floor behind them as his lips covered hers. So far, the new bed hadn't broke on them and they'd have plenty of fun breaking it in thoroughly. Jasina moaned against him as he began slowly pulling the straps of her negligee down, her legs already wrapped around his waist.

On one hand, stripping her out of the lingerie was a bit depressing because she looked so good in it. On the other...she also looked very good naked and Randy had to pull back a bit in order to admire his beautiful girlfriend, running a finger down the valley of her breasts and then her smooth, flat abdomen. Smiling when Jasina instinctively pulled her belly in, Randy bent down to start kissing the path he had just traced, moving his body slowly down until he was comfortable, his hands moving to grip her hips.

What Randy wanted to tell Jasina could definitely wait until later, their clothes flying to the floor, both focused on bringing each other to heights only they could reach together.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

After several hours of making love, Jasina was curled up in bed with Randy, tracing the linings of the tattoos on his arms. Coincidentally, that's something she used to do with Mark, though Jasina wasn't even thinking about that at the moment. Randy was all she could think about, Mark didn't exist unless it had to do with Arielle. She was so happy, Jasina felt complete when she was with Randy and smiled when he looked down at her, running a finger down her cheek with his finger. He was everything to her and more, she would do almost anything for him and could see all the love and adoration in his eyes.

"I love you." Jasina whispered, reaching up to brush her lips against his, just enjoying this moment of solitude with him while they both came down from an intense sexual high.

"I love you too, Jasina." Randy said with a smile, finally, gently disentangling himself from her in order to retrieve a cigarette from the pack she kept in the back of her nightstand drawer.

There times so intense, that he felt the urge to light up, or she did, and they generally would share the cigarette. He sat upright, leaning back against the headboard as he lit it, setting out the ashtray and stared down at her. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed lying there and he knew this would be the perfect moment to share his news.

"Jas, remember how I mentioned Australia before?" Randy asked, exhaling smoke through his nostrils, his smile widening when she nodded after a moment. "Good, because that's where we're going."

Teal eyes shot open as Jasina sat up in bed, the biggest smile crossing her face, feeling as though her heartbeat just sped up in tempo. "Oh my GOD! WHAT?!" When he laughed at her excitement, Jasina instantly jumped on him, being careful not to burn herself on the cigarette and passionately kissed him. He was taking her to Australia, her dream vacation! "WHEN?" She squealed, taking the cigarette from him to take a long drag, letting the nicotine fill her entire body, the smoke filtering out of her mouth. "Tell me! You can't keep me in suspense!"

"Oh yes, I can too." Randy teased, deciding keeping her suspense for a few more minutes sounded quite appealing, especially with the way she was looking. He knew Australia was her dream vacation; she had told him so when they had first met, it was something he had never forgotten and now...everything was set to take her on that dream vacation. "Tomorrow, bright and early." He finally announced, caving when she had stuck out her lower lip and flashed those teal eyes on him, unable to resist. At her stunned look, he leaned over to lightly kiss her lips. "I know it's soon, but..."

The excitement and sparkle in her eyes immediately diminished, a huge frown replacing the grin she had only minutes ago, slowly pulling back from him. "T-Tomorrow?" Was he serious? Jasina could tell he was just by the look he gave her, though a frown was slowly stretching across his own lips and Jasina suddenly backed away from him, covering herself up with the blanket. "Randy, we can't go tomorrow. You've completely lost your mind!" There was no way Jasina was missing Arielle's graduation, not for anything, even Australia.

"What? No, I haven't lost my mind." Randy was more than confused by this sudden change in her attitude, to say the least, rolling out of bed in order to stand up, suddenly feeling like he was crowding her. That probably wasn't helped by the way she had suddenly reached for the sheet like he was a stranger or something. "Why can't we?" He demanded, frowning as he stared at her, feeling something gnawing on the edge of his mind.

He was forgetting something. Maybe.

Jasina couldn't believe this and felt the tears swelling in her eyes, staring at the man she loved, but not as much as her daughter. "Randy," She paused briefly, swallowing hard and wiped away a few tears that slid down her cheeks. "You really don't remember do you?" She was appalled when he shook his head, looking completely blank and angry, which suddenly angered Jasina more than words could say. "How could you possibly forget what tomorrow is? I thought Arielle meant more to you than that. Apparently, I was wrong." Randy had disappointed her almost as much as Mark had, something Jasina thought he could never do, and stood up from the bed after setting the cigarette in the nightstand ashtray. "I can't believe you."

It took Randy only a few short seconds to finally realize what tomorrow was, wondering how in the hell he could have forgotten. He supposed all the talk regarding Arielle's graduation party had finally gotten him to the point where he could drown it out, because other than occasionally offering an opinion when asked or volunteering money, it seemed Jasina had had it well under control. Not to mention he had been a bit busy with a story that he had finally finished. He hadn't even thought about dates when Trish had finally cleared it for the Australia trip, so excited to just finally be going.

"Shit, Jas, I'm sorry..."

"I'm not going to say it's alright because it isn't, but..." Jasina couldn't stay mad at Randy and sat back down on the bed, chewing her bottom lip. "I mean I know you're not gonna go now because this is the most important day of Arielle's life and I know you wouldn't miss it. You're not that type of man. So maybe we can go next weekend or something." She looked back at him, a sick feeling bubbling up in the pit of her stomach when he looked guilt-ridden and sad. "Randy..."

"Jasina, I am so, so sorry." Randy began, knowing her semi-understanding and less pissy mood was about to be reversed again. "It's too late to change the tickets and I've already made arrangements for a story there with the Sydney press, I'm locked in, I have to go." Randy could not believe his own stupidity had gotten him stuck in this, knowing he would never forgive himself for missing Arielle's graduation and by the stormy look brewing in those teal eyes staring back at him, Jasina wasn't going too either.

"WHAT?" Every part of Jasina's body trembled with anger, the fire flashing through her eyes, wanting to maim this man she thought she knew. "You're choosing to go overseas for a stupid story instead of attending my daughter's graduation?! What happened to you telling me we were the most important thing in your life, Randy, huh? What happened to you saying you loved me and would do anything for me and Arielle? Was that all lies? I've told you I don't know how many times when her damn graduation was and you should've KNOWN not to book this trip until AFTER Arielle's graduation!" She was furious with him and fought the urge to hurl her lamp, wanting to hurt him as much as he was hurting her right now. "HOW DARE YOU! Arielle is going to be CRUSHED and you don't even CARE! You call them back and tell them you can't come because you have OTHER obligations! You can't always choose your work over the people you love!"

When he seen her fingers convulse and her eyes stray to the lamp, Randy literally threw herself over the bed in order to stop her from entertaining any...violent ideas, not about to take a beating over a misunderstanding. "Look, Jas, I'm sorry, and I know that doesn't mean shit, but there's nothing I can do. I'll talk to Arie before I leave, I WILL make it up to her." Jasina was still screaming, and he could feel his ears turning red with anger, wanting to do nothing more than give her a good and proper shake to shut her up, finally settling for clamping his hand over her mouth. "WILL YOU STOP SCREAMING?!"

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU HEARTLESS SON OF A BITCH!" Jasina managed to bend her knee to press her foot against his chest, shoving him back against her dresser, growling. "Make it up to her? HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT TO DO THAT? THIS IS THE BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF HER LIFE! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE THERE! I'LL STOP SCREAMING WHEN I DAMN WELL PLEASE! SHE'S GOING TO HATE YOU JUST AS MUCH AS I DO RIGHT NOW!"

By now, tears were streaming down her face while Randy stared at her disbelief, eyes narrowed to slits. What the hell did he honestly expect her to do? Wish him well on his trip and just let him break Arielle's heart? Granted, she knew Mark was Arielle's father, but Randy had become almost a second father figure in the past four months. She actually trusted him, something Jasina thought would never happen, and now Arielle was going to be hurt on her graduation day.

"She will never forgive you if you go and neither will I, Randy. You have to decide what is more important in your life because choosing work over your family is WRONG in every way. I know it's only been four months, but I love you. I love you so goddamn much and I know she does too! Is Australia and your job really more important than us?"

"You know it's not, but some things just can't be changed." He growled, reaching back to rub his bare hip where it had collided with her dresser, knowing if she started screaming -or kicked him again- he was going to have to walk away, not about to be like her ex-husband and snatch her up, as tempting as it may seem. "You either love me or hate me Jasina, but at this point I HAVE to fucking go. I can't call and cancel six hours before the flight leaves, it's not even the damn ticket but the job, if I back out now it could destroy any chance I have of working with them again. Don't you fucking get that?"

"No I don't actually. I don't get how you can simply choose your job over the people you love. If it was me and it was your daughter graduating, I would cancel in a heartbeat. Fuck Australia and fuck the job! I would be there in a split second because I know there are OTHER jobs out there, but only one man that I love. You don't get that though do you? All you care about is your work, no matter what I've done and how hard I've tried, your work will always come before us." Her heart shattered at his words and did it again with what came out of her mouth, but Jasina meant every word she said. She had no more fight left in her, not after what happened with Mark and now Randy. "I thought you loved me. I thought you would never hurt me and I never thought you'd break my heart worse than Mark did." She opened the bedroom door, the blanket still wrapped around her tightly, refusing to even look at him. "You need to leave now. I have to get some sleep for my daughter's graduation and you have an early flight."

The fact that she had compared him to MARK made Randy's jaw hit the floor, knowing there was no comparison. He was NOTHING like that asshole. He would never intentionally ruin Arielle's life and this had been completely unintentional, his excitement had overcome everything else and pushed everything else to the side. Snorting, he began pulling on his jeans, not about to argue with her while naked, for some reason it just seemed... weird.

"I DO love you, Jasina, and I love Arielle; you know that." He said once his lower half was covered, not bothering with any other clothing. "And don't you dare say all I care about is my work, because you know that's not true. If it was, I would have never agreed to intern Arielle because it interferes with actual stories and puts me on basic assignments, and Arie has learned so MUCH because of it." It was true; he was so impressed and proud by her accomplishments that one of his graduation presents for her was a proper camera, one very similar to his own, on top of a book of her work and his own personal reference so she would have it for a portfolio; something above and beyond the basic reference letter.

"You don't love us because if you did, you wouldn't have let your WORK override remembering the most important day of her life." Jasina refused to listen to his excuses, not about to let him turn this around on her, shaking her head when he once again brought it all back to work. "There is more to life than working, Randy. Apparently, you're not ready for that kind of life and I have no time in mine to deal with a workaholic." Jasina thought she was bad with how much she worked, but that was nothing compared to Randy. "I thought you were the one for me. I thought we'd eventually get married and spend the rest of our lives together. But I refuse to be with a man who chooses his work over family. This is going to destroy Arielle and I'll have to be the one to tell her. I'll have to be the one to break her heart because of YOU. Just get out of my apartment and don't let the door hit you on the way out." She walked over to stare out the window, silent tears sliding down her face while Randy finished dressing.

Silently, Randy dressed, knowing there would be no talking to her right now, and he understood why. She was right, but at the same time...he had obligations. Maybe this time a part would be good for them; he was definitely going to use it to reassess himself, his goals, and what he wanted in life because he knew since Jasina and Arielle had come into his life, all those priorities had changed drastically. He had found what he hadn't realized he had been looking for and he wasn't going to lose it, even if Jasina seemed pretty certain she was done with him.

Randy had waited patiently for her to get over Mark, he could patiently wait for her to calm down enough to speak to him again. After he was dressed and had his things, he headed for the door, glancing back at her. She had her back to him, her arms folded around herself and the way her shoulders were hunched in a defensive posture broke his heart. It told him he had hurt her very deeply and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss that hurt away.

"I love you, Jasina." He said softly. "And I know underneath all that anger, you still love me. I WILL make this up to Arielle and to you." Sighing when she didn't turn around, he walked out.

As soon as Jasina heard the front door slam shut, her knees buckled and she hit the floor in a sobbing heartbroken mess, burying her face in her hands. Every part of her felt the unwelcoming numbness, the same feeling Mark caused her when they finally ended things. Randy had hurt her just as much, if not worse, because of the simple fact he was choosing to go to Australia for work rather than cancel it to be there for Arielle's high school graduation. If it was her eighth grade, Jasina wouldn't be nearly as angry as she was now because this was a once in a lifetime moment. Arielle expected Randy to be there to see her, just as much as she expected her parents to, and he wasn't going to be.

How was Jasina supposed to tell her?

Hell, how was she supposed to tell Mark why Arielle was going to be heartbroken on her graduation day?

"Never again." Jasina whispered, pulling herself up enough to collapse on the bed, sobbing harder as she buried her face in the pillow, not believing how this night had turned out.

Randy returned to his apartment to finish packing his bag, his gaze returning time and time again to the picture frame he kept on his nightstand besides his mostly unused bed. It was of Arielle and Jasina snapped by him. They were sitting on a park bench, their heads touching each others, side by side, with giant smiles on their faces.

Frowning, he reached for the picture and packed it in the suitcase, nestled between clothes so the glass wouldn't break or the picture wind up bent. Arielle's presents were in his office, on his desk, wrapped in a silvery purple paper that he had picked out himself, more than aware purple was Arie's favorite. Knowing he was making a mistake by leaving, Randy still did it, truly not having any other choice.

Randy couldn't help thinking of days gone by, before he even arrived in Houston, wondering how his life became so complicated. He fell in love with Jasina and Arielle, they were the only reason for him sticking around the Houston area. Love complicated lives, that was the way it worked, and Randy honestly wouldn't want it any other way. As the plane took off into the sky, Randy silently vowed that once he returned from Australia, he would make things right with Jasina and Arielle.

"Days go by and I'll make it right, please forgive me girls." Randy whispered, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead against the window and knew he would have to do a lot to make them forgive him.

All Randy had was time, glad for once it was on his side and not the other way around.

The End.


End file.
